Losing Grace
by Tryandfly
Summary: Grace is in a lot of trouble, and knows that time is running out for her - and then she met Will. With an instant connection, how will Grace reveal to him that things are not what they seem?
1. Prologue

_Prologue_

It was always going to end like this - I've known this for a long time and it was no shock to learn that. But, I just didn't expect to find...well, this! It was just so nice to not have to think about stuff for a while.

But now I was scared.

I wasn't ready! I would never be ready, but all this had just made me so...unsteady?

I couldn't deal with this...


	2. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Benedict brothers, or the Savant idea, but Gracie is mine and mine alone. c: And if I owned the Finding Sky series, I wouldn't be struggling through my GCSEs with a hag as my English teacher. ^_^ (Basically, I'd be a looooottt happier!)**

_Chapter 1_

I knew that it was a stupid thing to do, to stay behind after university. It meant that I was now practically running towards the train station, hoping that I would make it there in time to catch the train back to the village that my family is currently staying at. Running and myself is not a good combination - not that I'm not fit enough for it, because I am, but because I have little to no co-ordination, and I don't pay too much attention to my surroundings when I'm hurrying.

But still, that was not the point. My mother was a cold, hard, bitch, and being late meant that I'd miss the train, and then have to wait for the next one - and my dear mother's wrath. At the thought of her, I shivered, and ran harder.

Right now, I can't even remember what it was that meant that I had stayed behind. Lingering always held disastrous consequences, and it meant that people would get to know me, that they would notice if I just suddenly stopped coming to uni.

My feet pounded the pavement, dodging and ducking through the crowds of Amsterdam, hoping in vain that I would make it to the train station in time. Eventually I managed to find my way into the busiest streets, and my spirit dampened. Nope, there was no way I was going to get on that train now. I so hoped that if I let one of my nicer siblings know that I was going to be late that they would cover for me. I quickly discarded the thought - Lyrica and Harmony stood up for me to a certain point, and even I knew that we were past that. No, I had to deal with the consequences by myself.

I slowed as I reached the station, knowing almost immediately that the train was already gone. Looking up wistfully at the times, I sighed and dropped into the nearest seat. An hour. I had to wait an hour until the next one. Figuring that I'd just let someone at home know that I wasn't going to make it home in time, I sent my sister a quick text, knowing that telepathy wouldn't work across this distance.

_Harmony,_

_Not going to make it home in time. Train's gone. Don't wait up._

_G x_

It was about six o'clock, I'd had to stay behind a couple of hours after my lessons to make sure that I had caught up on the stuff that I had missed from the beginning of this year. I was currently at Amsterdam University, majoring in Computer Science, Psychology and Sociology, and had only started here just before Christmas. It was now May, and I hadn't bothered trying to catch up on the stuff from the courses that I missed, knowing that I was only filling in my days until my mother decided that it was time to move _again_.

"Long day, huh?" A voice from behind me, causing me to jump and turn at the tall dark haired man that was smiling at me. I muttered a reply, hoping like hell that he would move and _leave_ when he motioned for me to move up - causing me to realise that I was taking up most of the bench and that he probably wanted to sit down. Scooting over a bit, dragging my rucksack with me, I glanced at him and then at the seat, a silent movement that gave him permission to sit down. To sit down, and _shut up_.

"You local?" He asked. I pinpointed his accent - he was American. Of course. I nodded my head warily, before casting a glance at my watch. Forty-five minutes. "Ah, thought so. Where are you heading to?"

"Baarn." I replied, fiddling with my bag strap and wishing the seconds to move ahead faster.

I watched his eyebrows shoot up when he heard my accent and inwardly chuckled. "That's an interesting accent you have there. Where are you from?"

"All over the place. My family," I paused, trying to think of how to word it. "We travel. A lot." Leaving it at that and hoping that he would leave it, I watched for his reaction. When all he did was motion for me to continue, I added, "We lived in America for the first ten years of my life, and have travelled all over the place since then. I'm currently trying to get a degree in Psychology, Sociology and Computer Science at the university." I admitted, wondering why I was telling him these things. I usually kept to myself and didn't say anything about me or my family. Perhaps it was because he was a tourist and I wouldn't see him again.

"America, huh? Where abouts?" He just kept talking!

"Look, not to sound rude or anything, but I don't know why you're talking to me about this. I don't know you - or your name for that matter." I snapped at him, gathering my bag up from the floor and swinging it onto my back. I'd just have to find somewhere else to wait for my train. He actually had the decency to look sorry, and even offered,

"I'm sorry. Look, I think we got off to the wrong foot. I'm Will, Will Benedict."


	3. Chapter 2

**Author's note: Urm, yep. So, I finished the first chapter maybe an hour or so ago. But my dear Gracie has been keeping me from my revision, so here's the second chapter. Thank you very much to sevenofdiamonds7 - means a lot more than you think. But yeah. Loving Gracie at the moment, until I get bored of this (let's be honest, I probably will). Sooooo... Enjoy and review!**

**Disclaimer: I would not be revising if I had written this amazing series ;) Still hoping my Benedict brother turns up!**

_Chapter Two_

Benedict? Oh no... They...They couldn't have figured out about my family, could they? I know they're high up in the Savant net, but we've been careful, no one is supposed to know about us! I put on a fake smile, saying the first name I could think of, and throwing my shields up as high as possible. "Nice to meet you, Will. I'm Mary-Ray Bennett - but my friends call me May." Fumbling for anything that could hide my fear at being cornered by one of the Benedict brothers, I added (pretty desperately, if I might add,), "Any reason you're in Amsterdam? I've only been here for a few months, but I'd be glad to help in any way I can."

NO! No no no no! I couldn't have just kept my mouth shut, could I? I just had to say something like that, didn't I? Silently cursing myself, I pulled my most dazzling smile on. "Ah, that's a nice name." He didn't seem to have noticed my panic, so I relaxed a bit - but not by much. "I'm meeting a couple of my brothers, and their partners." Will rolled his eyes, further convincing me that he didn't know who I was yet, and that he had fallen for my lies. "Do you have any siblings?"

Deciding that Mary-Ray Bennett would be an only child, I said, "I'm afraid not. My parents thought I was a handful and could only deal with me." There, that might be enough of a cover. Mary-Ray had both parents in the picture, unlike me, and my eight siblings were safely hidden away. Not that they needed to be safely hidden away, they were strong enough to deal with whoever they wanted to. But still, I felt an odd connection with this Benedict. I wanted to protect him, because he didn't know what they could do to him.

"Ah, shame. I have six brothers." He grimaced, and I mentally told him that I already knew that. It was hard not to, because we were all informed about the Benedicts. We knew everything. And yet... A memory slid into my head, from when I lived in America.

_"Will, don't run so fast!" I cried, running as hard as I could to keep up with the good-natured boy that was way in front of me. He slowed, before he came to a halt, running a hand through his thick dark hair, messing it up even more. "You know I can't keep up with you, that was mean!" Tears welling up at the corners of my eyes, I saw the concern hit him, and he came closer before giving me a hug.  
"Sorry Gracie," He said quietly when I broke away, attempting to hide behind my dirty blonde hair. "I keep forgetting. You know about my brothers." Sniffing, I nodded, this time allowing him to hug me.  
An angry voice from behind me made me jump out of Will's arms, though he stood defiantly by me when I faced the cruel woman that was my mother. "Grace Smith! How dare you play with this boy!" It was then, with a guilty conscience, that I remembered that I hadn't told my mother about the boy I had played with for the past six years. Or I had, I just hadn't let her meet him, or tell her his last name._

That day my mother had dragged me away, hissing that I was never to play with Will again, that he was a Benedict, that he was the enemy. Ten-year-old me had been grounded, and a week later we had moved away from Wrickenridge.

It was funny that this memory had decided to surface right now, but it was the tears before we left when he had promised that he would see me again that struck me now. I was suddenly aware of his voice breaking through my fog of memories. "Mary-Ray? Are you okay?"

"Yeah, yeah. I'm fine." I muttered distractedly, hurriedly standing, my bag still on my back. It was as if on cue that the train I had been waiting for arrived, and I added, "I think that's my train. See you around, Will Benedict."

As I hurried away towards my platform, I stole the odd glance at him over my shoulder. Yes, I could definitely see the young boy that I had spent so much time with. It was funny, that was over a decade ago, and I still remember his exact appearance. His hair was slightly more curly - no, wavy - and he had a, what did the English call it?, a rugby players' build. He'd filled out pretty well from the lanky boy that I had once known. Pausing before I got on the train, I watched him visibly relax and head towards a small group of four people - a very geeky looking man with a dark haired girl by his side, and a much taller couple (one with incredibly curly hair and dressed incredibly well, and a sort of Egyptian looking woman who was a few inches shorter than him). It seemed like the two men were related to Will, and probably younger by the way that he took control of the situation.

Making eye contact with the exotic woman, I ducked my head quickly and scrambled onto the train, feeling as if she knew exactly who I was. Moving down the train towards the front, I had the strange feeling that I was going to be followed, and risked a glance out of the window. Yep, sure enough, Will was hurrying to the train. "Damn." I muttered, realising that I was at the front and had nowhere to go.

But just this once I was lucky. The train pulled away before Will got to the doors, and I collapsed into the nearest available seat, feeling as if I had had a narrow escape. Now I just had to face the music that was my family, and break it to them that the Benedicts were in town.


	4. Chapter 3

**Author's Note: Okay, so I'm obsessing. A tad. But when I finished my German exam in the first ten minutes, how else was I supposed to spend the next half hour? So...I planned. ^_^ And this is instead of more revision by the way ;)**

**I'd like to say thanks to fleurchen, who I replied to, and to Karra (a guest). I just wanted to let you know that your thoughts are appreciated.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the boys (apart from my boys, who you should be meeting in this chapter), but Gracie is mine and I do not appreciate anyone "borrowing" her without my permission.**

_Chapter Three_

Staring at my appearance in the window (an old woman had trundled down the train not long after we had left the station, and I volunteered my seat), I wondered what exactly people thought about me. My hair was long-ish, and of a muddy blonde colour, as well as being the most irritating thing ever in the morning. This morning I had spent about an hour turning the usual frizzy mess into long straight locks, something I didn't do very often and now I was incredibly glad that I had got up that little bit earlier this morning. I looked nothing like my normal self. My green eyes were devoid of my usual make up (heavy eyeliner with a dark eye shadow), and I felt pretty bare without it.

Fearing the worse for when I had to get home, knowing that I would already be in trouble for being late but the added bonus of having told the Benedict boy that I was staying in Baarn was an incentive to dawdle. I flinched, knowing exactly what was going to happen. I still didn't even know who that woman was, or why she had stared at me. Feeling a harsh knocking on my shields that I still had up, I hesitantly lowered them, wondering who was going to be delivering the bad news.

_Grace!_ Damn. It was Taiko, my mother's favourite and the seventh child of the family - which meant he got an extra dose of Savant. He was also the most vicious of my siblings, and a firecracker next to his younger mild twin brother. _Where the hell have you been? You were supposed to be back an hour ago. _Wishing that I could just turn around and get on the train, I instead sped up, nodding and smiling hello to the people I passed. He sounded pretty mad, and I really didn't want to get punished for something else. They would always find me. I knew that, and it wasn't worth the risk. _Mother really can't wait to see you. _Even better, his voice had just got vicious, and I could only imagine the horrible smile on his face.

_I got caught behind at uni and missed the train! _I protested, but it was rather futile and I knew that no matter what my excuse was, I would still be in trouble.

It took him a moment to reply, he was obviously relaying the information to someone else. Possibly Tenor, but I couldn't be sure. _She doesn't care._ No! He had been talking to _her_!

Moving faster until I was running, I headed out of the village until I was among the fields of yellow and green. It wasn't exactly my idea, but we lived a few miles from the village, and it was a horrible distance to cover with my curfew of seven having passed long ago. (My mother was incredibly strict, and though I was twenty-one, I still had to abide by her rules.)_I'm almost there! _I begged, only to feel his malevolent laugh rush down our mental connection.

I felt dirty. I hated having to talk mentally with my siblings, it always made me feel violated, and I couldn't block them out, or there would be consequences. I shivered though it wasn't that cold, and I felt my skin crawl. He was searching through my day, and when he stumbled onto my meeting with Will Benedict I felt him howl through our connection.

Closing my eyes as I reached the medium sized cottage that we staying in, I had to open them to take in the beauty that surrounded me. The old thatched roof looked really pretty with the white washed walls, and out of the corner of my eye I could see the windmill that we had rented so no one would interrupt us. It was surrounded by fields, and if I turned around I knew I could see Baarn in the distance. Instead of doing that, though, I headed up the worn path and towards my personal hell.

_"How very dare you tell him we were in Baarn."_A voice hissed, not only out loud but in my mind. There was no way of getting away from this, and I flinched in my chair. I was sitting in the middle seat of a dining table (we had one with enough places for ten people), and felt as though I was in a trial with every single one of my siblings crowded in the room. My mother stood across the table from me, and I felt rather than saw the presence of Taiko and Tenor behind me.

"I thought it was harmless. I didn't know who he was." I whispered, feeling the smugness radiate off of Taiko.

"Taiko." My mother ordered, and I cringed, knowing the extent of his power. He came right up behind me, and rested his hand on my shoulder.

Flinching away from his hand, I cried out, "I didn't tell him my name! I told him I was Mary-Ray Bennett! If he looks to the University, he'll find out that there is one there!"The pulses emanated from Taiko, stronger because he was using physical contact to enhance his power. "Mommy, I'm sorry!" I screamed, the pain feeling like an electric shock that raced through my body, leaving everything it touched burning and aching. Tears sprang to my eyes and I openly sobbed, lurching forwards so that my head was resting on the table in front. A hand gripped my hair, yanking my head back so that I could see my mothers' face. She smiled, a smile that made me feel even worse than I did.

"Stop." Finally, she'd given the order that freed me from my pain. Still, Taiko was vicious, sending an extra shock through my body before he let go of my shoulder, allowing me to slump forward.

"Mommy I'm sorry. I didn't mean to tell him." I begged, tears still leaking from the corners of my eyes.

She raised a hand as if to slap me, and I flinched yet again. "It seems like we need to move again." Her voice was cold, and her eyes did not move from me.


	5. Chapter 4

**Author's Note: So... Urm, I'm writing again. XD Must seriously have nothing to do - but here's the next update to Gracie's tale. Big thanks to people who have reviewed and let me know what they think, it means a lot to me. Hope you enjoy this one - and damn, I do hate Taiko.**

**Disclaimer: The Benedict Brothers and Finding Sky belongs to the wonderful Joss Stirling, and Gracie and the Smith family belong to me. ^_^**

_Chapter Four_

When I was alone in my small box of a room, supposedly packing but instead standing at the window and staring outside, I heard a swish behind me. Fearing the worst, I spun around, only to relax at the sight of two of my sisters. Harmony, the elder one, was the fifth in the family at the age of twenty-eight, and an incredibly tall blonde with straight hair and a face that anyone would be envious of. Number six, a year younger than Harmony, was Lyrica - the weakest Savant in the family, but she had the most wonderful mothering personality, and was a slightly shorter version of Harmony. Next to them I was the ugly duckling, the unwanted ninth child.

"Your nose has been bleeding." Lyri said to me, shocked, before swooping me into her arms and plucking a tissue delicately from the box to my right. Taking it from her, I wiped at the blood angrily, only for her to grab my arms, hold me in place, and look at me thoughtfully.

"It's what happens when Taiko... Does what he does." I muttered, the first to break the glance by looking away and instead glancing around my room. It barely fitted the single bed that occupied most of the room, but my small windowsill was cluttered with little things that I had collected over the years.

"You should really try not to aggravate Ma, Gracie." Harmony said gently, only for me to snort. "It could be worse." She tried, and another snort of mine stopped her in her tracks.

"Don't you guys think of something better than this?" I asked them, pulling out of my sister's arms. When they both looked confused, I tried again. "Don't you guys want to find your other half? Your soulfinder?"

Harmony laughed, a tinkling sound that I was envious of (mine was like a barking seal, something that had been pointed out to me many times) - and replied with, "Soulfinders are myths, Gracie."

Lyrica tried a gentler path. "Don't you think we would have found them by now if they were real?" I sunk down to sit on the bed, heart sinking even lower. I wasn't stupid, but it felt as if my only way out of this family had just been ripped from me, and that I would have to live in this nightmare for the rest of my life. Both copied my example, one beautiful sister on either side of me. "We can only make the best of what we have, sweetie. It's not even that bad if you give it a chance."

"Lyri, I don't want to have to give it a chance." I told her, begged her, but she just sadly shook her head. Neither really understood. They were hidden by the years, and mother never really noticed them. Perhaps it was because their powers weren't the most useful (or powerful) ones out there - I mean, Harmony could barely see emotions, and Lyrica could only just use telekinesis in the most basic form. Mine, however, was something more physical than mental. "I need to pack." I muttered, standing yet again and turning away from them. I didn't have to be facing them to know that they were exchanging glances about me.

"Gracie-"

"Just go." I was defeated. Taiko's last trick had taken the willpower out of me, and there was no way that I'd be able to get out of this rut any time soon. I waited for them to leave the room before I pulled my suitcase out from under my bed, feeling comfortable with the familiar motions.

I was unexpected. My mother and my father (not that I've ever met him) were perfectly happy with my siblings - Melody, the oldest; Symphony, my most hated sister; Discord, the deadly accurate first son; Rhapsody was the leech, my brother who managed to sneak incredibly bad thoughts into my head and made me feel worse than I already did; then Harmony; Lyrica; and the twins, Taiko and Tenor. Symphony swore to me that it was because I was born that dad left my mom, that I had driven him away because he'd seen how I'd ruin the family in the future. It sort of made sense - there were fourteen years between me and Melody, and three years between me and the twins. Perhaps dad thought he couldn't deal with another kid. I just didn't know.

Like I mentioned before, we were born in America - in Wrickenridge, near Denver, to be exact. Mom swore that dad would come back to us, that he loved us all dearly, but she started going a bit wrong in the head not long before my fourth birthday. She made us promise that we wouldn't talk to the Benedict boys, but I broke that promise and managed to keep my friendship with Will quiet for six years. I still don't know how I managed that.

Sometime after my tenth birthday, mom found out about me and Will and we moved. It was the first move in a long line of them, often staying in one place for a month, sometimes even shorter. Baarn is the first place we've stayed in for more than a couple of months, and I had finally thought that we'd found somewhere permanently.

I promise I'm not entirely stupid.

But what gets me is that none of my siblings have moved out. None have the inclination to leave. Me? I want to get away as soon as I can. I just can't seem to leave though.

About half an hour later I was downstairs being watched by most of my siblings. We all shared the same traits - blonde hair (some blonder than others), green eyes, and tall. You could pick us out of a crowd by the shapes of our faces and the similar nose that was situated on each face. It was irritating to say the least. I glanced around - we had all stuck to one suitcase each, full of our lives, as we often vacated a place too quickly for loads of boxes and bags.

"Grace." My mother barked, making me jump from my position at the back of the room, hiding behind my older brothers and sisters.

"Yes Ma?" I asked timidly, moving into the spotlight and leaving my suitcase where it was.

"Time for your skill." She was brisk, and wasted no time explaining. "It is time for you to meet your father as you are finally of some use." My mind was spinning. Meet...dad? No! He'd walked out on us long ago. No one had any contact with him...did they?

"Yay, time to see Daddy again." Melody clapped her hands, careful not to chip or break one of her carefully manicured nails. "I haven't seen him since last year!" Muffled agreements spread through all of my siblings, and an apologetic Lyrica looked at me as if to say _"what can I say?"._ I was definitely the only one who hadn't met him.

"Where...Where to?" I asked nervously, to which three of my four brothers muttered stuff to - it was a no brainer that it was Discord, Rhapsody and Taiko, Tenor was far too quiet to say anything.

"Unfortunately Denver. It's the agreed meeting place. Try... Hmm." I watched my mother think, before she smiled slyly. "The City Park will do. I'll let your father know we're there when we have settled."

Taking a deep breath, I quickly grabbed my suitcase from the outskirts of the room and moved into my position from before, waiting for my siblings to crowd around me. Naturally they did, each grabbing a different part of my body. Someone particularly nasty grabbed a hunk of hair, but I merely gritted my teeth, made sure to breathe, and-


	6. Chapter 5

**Author's Note: Hey, I'm updating again! I'm impressed - though I have the feeling that it's only because of the reviews I've been getting. Cheers for those, they are incredibly motivating, and are really uplifting when I sneak onto my emails at school. They have, so far, always managed to bring a smile to my face. Which freaks out my friends ;)**

**But, alas, I think this will be the only update for tonight because I'm pretty tired. Depends on how it ends. And I don't think there will be one tomorrow because I'm out for most of the day. I'll update as soon as I can though, and might be able to get on during school.**

**Disclaimer: Unfortunately I don't own Finding Sky, but you know the drill - Gracie and her siblings are mine. ^_^**

_Chapter Five_

I jumped.

As always, it was incredibly painful - made even worse by the rough hands my brothers held me with. My head in particular hurt, but I still collapsed to my knees and retched. I was glad that we hadn't stopped to eat before we came, because I was sure something would have come up then, instead I was left to curl up on the ground. Damn. It felt as if we had just crossed continents - _oh wait. _We had.

The fresh grass underneath my hands confirmed this. There was no carpet underneath me like there had been in the cottage outside of Amsterdam, and my family around me were stretching their legs, rolling the kinks out of their shoulders. Apart from _her._ My mother. She was the small, vicious woman she had always been, and this was reinforced with her arms folded over her chest, foot tapping impatiently. "Get up, Grace." Mom snapped, causing me to stumble to my feet. "Now, your father has been kind enough to offer one of his houses in order for you all to look presentable." Her voice turned soft, her gaze unfocused."Emerson Street, Grace." She ordered, expecting me to jump to her bidding.

"I can't, mom." I whispered from my spot on the ground, the nausea not going away like it should do, and my back beginning to hurt. Strange, that shouldn't be happening. Usually the nausea was there for a few seconds, and was gone... This was lingering. "I'm too sick." I added, looking up at her. Meeting her eyes, I immediately ducked my head, the intensity of her gaze scaring me.

"We should take a taxi." My unexpected saviour was Tenor... He offered it as if it were nothing, as if he were suggesting what we should have for dinner. Naturally, my mother nodded - Tenor was one of her prized sons after all.

After piling into three cabs total - I ended up riding with my mother and the twins, wedged in between the boys (as if I was going to do a runner. I had barely been able to stumble into the car) - we arrived at the building that we were going to be staying in indefinitely. Mother quickly divvied up the seven rooms, knowing that we were bound to argue over who got what room. She, of course, got the Master bedroom with the adjoined bathroom. My two oldest sisters had to share (they always had to), as did Lyrica and Harmony, and the four boys got their own rooms. I? I had the choice of two sitting rooms. One with incredibly hard bony furniture, and the second had relatively okay sofa cushions. Both rooms were small, so there wasn't really that much of an option.

Sometime later I had finally managed to take a shower in the main bathroom. The bedrooms all had adjoining bathrooms, but my oldest siblings decided to be vicious, and hogged the shower. When I got in there, there was no hot water and I had to take a freezing cold shower.

Of course, I hadn't lingered, and now I was using the dressing table in Harmony and Lyrica's room. They had kindly offered to let me borrow it when they were done, and said I could have a choice of their dresses. To be honest, there was no way I was going to be seen dead in a dress as I am simply not that type, but my mother had pressed a bag in my hand with a steely eye.

So, I had no choice. Sitting in front of the mirror, I stared at what I saw. I was paler than usual, and my hair was left loose, frizzing and curling all over the place until it looked like it was twice the size of my head. Rather than tackling that with straighteners like I ought to, I had decided to let it stay down. No doubt I was going to get in trouble for it later, but there was no way I was going to spend hours perfecting it for my father. I chose my normal heavy eye makeup (it was a good thing I had had no time to do that this morning, because if I was going to see Will again I had to make sure he wouldn't recognise me) - lots of mascara, eyeliner, and dark eye shadow.

It was the dress I was more worried about.

She had chosen a long green dress that I would associate with princesses - off the shoulder sleeves, delicate bodice, and lots of skirt. I was going to kill myself. I looked like...like...like...I couldn't even describe it. There was even a matching pair of heels, but I thought the dress was bad enough and chose to ignore them, and go barefoot.

Even if I didn't want to admit it, I did look pretty good.

When I came down the stairs, there were grumbles from Taiko, Discord, and Rhapsody about me causing them to be late, and I bit back a retort, knowing that it would cost me later. My mother watched me with an approving eye - I'm glad that I could meet someone's approval - and clapped her hands. While she was speaking - about what, I did not know - I managed to glance at my siblings. Melody was rocking a beautiful purple long halterneck with delicately curled hair. Symphony had gone short in a yellow dress - no, it was gold. I could feel her glaring at me for getting it wrong. I thought it was called a sweetheart dress, but I had no clue. My sister Harmony looked dazzling in the long pastel pink dress that I knew she had been dying to wear for a long time, and Lyrica. Well, she looked as amazing as always. Her black strapless dress clung in exactly the right places. My brothers had smartened up in suits and ties, with coloured waistcoats. "Melody, you will be escorted by Discord. Symphony by Rhapsody. Harmony by Tenor, and you, Grace, will be partnered with Taiko." She turned to look at me, and it was then that I realised that the boys were wearing waistcoats that matched our dresses.

"Why wasn't Lyrica mentioned?" I asked, not bothering to hide my question.

"Because."

"That is not an answer."

Lyrica looked close to tears. Since when had I been one of mom's favourites? "Just leave it, Gracie. I'll help Ma." She begged me, and I reluctantly let it slide. Just this once though. My sweetest sister shouldn't have to suffer.

"No you darn well won't." My mother snapped, then motioned for us to leave through the grand front door. I still hadn't seen the place properly - apart from the fact that there weren't any carpets, just polished wooden floors - and I didn't want to see the grand exterior of the house. It was bad enough being imprisoned there.

_You look really pale._ The thought slipped into my head, gently prodded by Lyrica. I nodded, feeling faint and dizzy and not wanting to trip up. _You shouldn't be coming. You aren't well. _If it was anyone else, I would have brushed them off, but I knew she had my best interests at heart.

_I have to come. Mom's made it pretty clear. _I whispered back, only to watch her shake her head in disgust.

"Be quiet ladies." The woman snapped, and we fell silent.

**A/N: Now, I know this one is full of waffle, but I feel that it's pretty necessary. Don't worry, the story is just about to start climbing fast towards the climax. Bear with, please?**


	7. Chapter 6

**Author's Note: Hey all - sorry for the lack of updates for the past couple of days but there was no way I was going to get one up last night. Now, to celebrate the fact that it's half-term and that I don't have to be at school on Monday, I'm going to update at least ****_twice _****tonight. Maybe even adding a chapter to Chasing Cara (which I'm still ironing the kinks out of).**

**I'm also very aware that Will and the Benedicts haven't made much of an appearance yet, but that is set to change very soon. Until then, I hope you enjoy what I have, and make sure to check out Chasing Cara when that gets going properly! Oh, and thanks to everyone who have given reviews - I always look forward to them.**

_Chapter Six_

I was still dizzy when we walked the short distance to an even bigger house than the one we were staying at - in fact, my headache got worse and I could barely look ahead without getting nauseous. I really shouldn't be going today, but I had no choice. I was bound to get into trouble if I didn't do what I was told, and I was already wary of having to be paired with Taiko. He seemed all right at the moment, walking dutifully by my side, but it wasn't voluntarily and as soon as he got a chance to get away from me he would.

It wasn't that long after we arrived that Taiko made some excuse to go somewhere else, and I was shocked at the amount of people that were crammed into what I could only assume was a ball room - that explained the posh dress then. I was honestly expecting just the chance to meet my father but this? This was horrible. So many people in one place... My mother looked particularly happy (for once), and even made some comment like,"He'll be proud of how you've turned out." It was so unlike her that I expected her to have been abducted by aliens and have this nice woman put in her place. "Now, don't get into trouble. Your father will come and find you." With that she disappeared into the crowds of people while my siblings dispersed to various places.

And I was alone. After picking my way through the crowd and watching a few younger children running around (the youngest seemed to be a girl of about eight, and there were a couple of boys and a girl around the age of sixteen with at least four others in between), I managed to find my way to a table of food. Rather than taking something, I instead had some punch, sipping rather than downing it. The age old question filtered through the barriers I had created to hide me from it - was my soulfinder here?

There were a lot of attractive people here, and it made me so self-conscious that I wound up outside in the grounds, wandering among the closest flowerbeds. After seeing a bench and taking a seat, I hid behind my hair, contemplating my options. I could run away. There was nothing stopping me, and none of my siblings were trackers - they'd never find me if I didn't use my powers. But I was feeling weak from this crappy dizzy spell.

"Can I join you?" A quiet voice from behind me said, and I jumped, expecting that I would be the only one out here. Instead there was a guy around my age, the type of person that obviously hated being in crowds, and with shockingly ginger hair.

"Urm, yeah, sure." Startled, I agreed, and moved over a bit to make space for him.

He gracefully took the space offered, and leant back, rubbing his head. "Man I hate family gatherings." He muttered, before looking at me properly. "Oh, you must be the ninth Donohue. I met the rest of you at the last family gathering thing. Can't for the life of me remember all those names though."

Confused as to how he knew me - and what he meant by family gatherings - I nodded, and said, "I'm, ah, Grace - but my last name's Smith, not Donohue..."

He knowingly looked at me, and held out a hand for a brisk handshake. "I'm Guy." At my brief snigger, he shrugged, "My mom was running out of names. I'm number seven in the Marge Kay branch." Marge Kay...branch? What? He must be crazy! Instead of taking any notice of my inner turmoil, he continued speaking. "And yeah, I meant your mom's last name is Donohue. You're the last of the Donohue branch. I don't know why you weren't brought to the last ones. I mean, Lucy's barely eight and has been to every single one since she was born."

"Hang on," I held up a hand. Guy looked pretty confused, so I enlightened him, "I don't know what the hell you're on about. The Donohue branch? Marge Kay? Who are you?"

A look of understanding passed across Guy's face, and he sighed, looking crestfallen. "Right... Where to start... Basically, the head of the Smith family is Benjamin Smith. He has had five wives - one's his soulfinder, not sure which one - and each wife has had a number of kids. Actually, now that I think about it, he's not married to any of them." He paused, waiting for that to sink in. I had no clue what he was on about. "Partner number one was Maria Kay. The eldest is Tango, who's thirty-eight, and the youngest is Mitchell at twenty-six. The Maria Kay branch has seven kids. Partner number two was Kelly Meyer, with Erika at thirty-seven and Henry a year older than me - twenty-two. There're eight kids there My mom was number three, Marge Kay. My bro Jackson's thirty-six, and the twins Alec and Savannah must be about seventeen now." Guy grinned at me, obviously finding this funny. "We're the largest family with eleven of us. Then there's you guys - the Donohue branch. Melody's thirty-five, you're twenty-one. The final partner is Lisa Wilson. She generally has the youngest family with Bryce and Brook at twenty-three, and Lucy at eight. She's almost caught up with us, there's ten of them. Get it?"

Wait...What? Five partners? Dad cheated on mom? He groaned, and continued speaking. "Us kids don't actually know who's actually his soulfinder. The moms know of course, and seem to be fine with it."Guy grimaced. "Mom's the sister of Maria. Neither were happy to begin with, but... They got used to it. If you ask around, no one actually is sure why he has so many kids - I think there are forty-five of us at the last count - but my personal favourite is that he wants an army. Y'know, there's seven or more of us in each branch. Which means five incredibly powerful Savants. I count myself among them of course." He grinned and winked, cocky attitude there for a moment before he continued.

"I can introduce you around, if you want." When I shook my head, he shrugged and rested his head on the back of the bench. "Maybe later then."

We sat in silence for a bit before I timidly spoke. "Does everyone live at home with their moms like Melody and the others do?"

"No one's left... It's as if they don't want to." Silence fell, until Guy added, "It's as if we can't. I tried a couple of years ago, but wound up back with my mom after a couple of months away."

"I'm not quite sure why I don't leave either." I paused before I continued. "And I don't know why Ma didn't tell me about this. About you guys."

Before Guy could reply, a voice blocked the moonlight and interrupted us. Fearfully I glanced up, and then to the side at Guy who was standing up straight. "Sorry sir, I know I was meant to bring her in." Guy said clearly, as if he was a soldier, to the man in front of us. Slowly I turned to look at him, only to be met with something that I would never have expected.

The man who stood in front of me looked a few years older than me and Guy, with the same coloured dirty blonde hair that I had. A cruel smirk slid onto his face before he spoke. "At ease, soldier." Relaxing, Guy looked at the man and then backed off, not saying a word to me. "Nice to finally meet you, Grace Donohue." The man said - again with my mother's maiden name! Why did that keep coming up?! "I am Benjamin Smith, owner of this estate and your father."


	8. Chapter 7

**Author's Note: So, I promised a few updates tonight. I'd better get started then! Hope you enjoyed the story so far and will continue to enjoy it. As always, please review - and thanks to those who have reviewed over the last six chapters & prologue.**

_Chapter Seven_

What? NO! He was too young to be my father - he looked twenty-seven at the oldest, and to have a child that was thirty-eight... That was madness. It just couldn't be true...Could it? I don't know. So much had altered my perception of the world in the past hour, and I still felt sick. But perhaps that was because I had just found out who I was related to...

He smirked - I refused to think of him as my father - and I dared to ask a question. I wasn't obedient like Guy. I wouldn't call him sir. No, I would be me. "Why do you look so young?"

The man answered with ease, as if he'd been asked that very question so many times before. "I have enhanced regeneration - my cells regenerate incredibly quickly and I was frozen at the age of twenty-seven."

I had to think incredibly carefully before my next question. "Why haven't I met you before?"

"It wasn't time."

"Everyone else knew you! Even, urm, the little one."

His smile faded. "Lucy. And you, my dear, are the most important child. It wasn't right for you to meet me until now." The man caressed my cheek, a loving gesture that made me want to throw up more.

"I'm not the seventh kid in the family. I'm number nine. Nothing special about me." I argued, crossing my arms and jerking away from him. His hand clenched into a fist and fell to his side.

"You, Grace Donohue, have a specific role to play in the future." He told me, leaving no opportunity for me to argue before he continued. "My family is structured, Grace. The eldest son in each branch - Discord, Tango, Ash, Jackson, and Bryce -" More unfamiliar names, apart from Discord, and I thought that Guy had mentioned Tango, Jackson and Bryce earlier, "- are to lead branches of this anti-Savant Net in various cities. Strictly under my control. Taiko, Mitchell, Allison, Guy and Jared," Man, there were so many names that I would never remember who was who, "are to stay by my side. You are my ticket to the world, Grace."

I stood up from the bench, shaking. "Why are you telling me this? You don't know the first thing about me!" I ended up yelling, though I hadn't meant to. I fell silent, unsure of how he would react.

He laughed.

"Look, sweetie. You aren't going anywhere." His voice became sinister, and a shadow from behind him moved forward. It was funny, I hadn't noticed that there was someone there. "Allison dear, please give Grace her mission."

The woman in front of me - a couple of years older, I think - stepped out of the shadows. _"Grace Donohue-Smith, under the hand of the Grand Master you are to spy on the Benedict family and report back anything you find out. You will do this willingly, or you will be held on a tight leash and not allowed to go anywhere."_The voice was not only out loud, but was also imprinting itself lightly on my brain, compelling me to do his bidding.

"Yes." I muttered, ducking my head. It would take more than mild compulsion to break me, I will admit that now.

He seemed satisfied. "Good. A small house has been purchased in Wrickenridge and you will be moving in tomorrow morning." The man stood up and swept into the house, the woman named Allison following her.

At some point Guy returned and took his place on the bench, allowing me to think things through. "How does her power work? Allison, I mean." I asked, not looking up from the speck of dirt I had been looking at for the past ten minutes.

"Allison? Oh. Usually she uses it in mild doses - doesn't force you to do things, but compels you to do things you wouldn't normally do. For example, I said I tried to leave a couple of years ago. She plants a seed in your head saying that you want to go home, you miss your family, etc. etc. It takes someone strong willed to break free of it, but..." Guy paused to gather his thoughts before he continued. "From what I gather from hushed conversations with other half siblings, Allison is the one who is closest to dad. There are quite a few select others, but everyone has their own thoughts about what they want to do. Come on, it's time you meet some people."

He gestured for me to follow him, and reluctantly I got up from my seat. I finally got a good look at him - and yes, he was wearing a suit like the rest of my family, albeit rather rumpled. The first few people I met were Tango, Phoebe and Theodore from the Maria Kay branch (it seemed like I was going to sound like my half-brother now), Erika from the Meyer branch, and Jackson from Guy's family. Phoebe was tall and willowy with dark hair, and was twins with Theodore - which seemed pretty fair as they brother shared the same eyes and face shapes. Their brother, Tango, was short and stocky, built for boxing. Erika was short and pixie like with a pale blonde bob - and Jackson, well, he was an older version of Guy. He was tall and ginger with a sprinkle of freckles over his face. Introductions were rather grim, with the others wishing that they were anywhere other than there.

When we had walked away, Guy told me quietly, "Phoebe found her soulfinder ten years ago, Tango seven years, Erika four, Jackson two, and Theodore eighteen months ago. All have had to make excuses to their partners and it's literally killing them inside." I kept quiet, though my eyes were drawn to a large group in the centre of the dance floor. There were more men than women, and they all held champagne glasses.

"Who are they?" I asked, feeling danger emanate off them without having to go near them. I recognised Taiko in the group - and strangely enough Tenor.

"They're dad's inner circle. You can see Taiko and Tenor, your older brothers, but in that group are also Allison, Blake and Clann from Meyer; Shane, Carlos and Mitchell from Maria Kay; my sister Kaylee and my brother Donovan." Two girls in the group of ten. It was weird - but I noticed that none of the "fifth" branch had been mentioned. I said as much to Guy before he chuckled and spoke. "Bryce and Brook aren't stupid. They've kept their younger siblings from getting too close to danger, but see how Randall is hanging around the edge of the group?" I, personally, couldn't see anything, apart from a slight shimmer here and there. "He's sixteen."

Shock emanated through me. "But that's how he raises them to be like him, isn't it? Get them while they're young?" I asked, feeling even sicker than before. When Guy nodded, I shook my head. "That's just sick."

I still didn't know who most of the people were who were here, but that wasn't what bothered me most. What bothered me most was that I could see similarities between everyone here, and that Guy's crazy story was actually true. "Tango, Phoebe, Theo, Erika and Jackson aren't the only ones who have found their soulfinders." He had returned to our previous conversation, but I just couldn't handle it - I'd had information overload.

"I can't believe this..." I whispered, only for Guy to surprise me and give me a hug. "What was that for?!" I demanded, only for him to step back, shocked.

"I was giving you a hug! And before you worry about us being soulfinders - which isn't possible, _by the way_, I found mine last year." He told me, out of the blue.

"I just want to go home." I ended up saying in response, only for him to shake his head.

"If you've lived in half the places I've lived in, you don't know where that is any more." He told me seriously, only for me to shake my head.

"No, I know exactly where it is. Wrickenridge." I told him, before I fainted.


	9. Chapter 8

**Author's Note: Okay, so I have a trapped nerve in my neck and I can't really do much - so I'm writing instead, see? ;) Make the best of everything! I hope you enjoyed meeting Guy and her father (I kinda started running out of names :S), and that you like this chapter too! As always, thanks to everyone who have reviewed.**

_Chapter Eight_

Blearily, I stood with my arms crossed as I stood in my new home - or my father's house. I hadn't slept very well the night before, I had heavily over-estimated how comfortable I thought those cushions would be and I was regretting every second of having to stay there. Besides, everything I had learnt yesterday had been swirling around in my head - in fact, it still was - and that probably didn't help with the sleeping issue.

The movers had just finished, and had placed all of the furniture down without any input from me. When I questioned it, the leader said that they'd been told where to put things and that they weren't to deviate from the plan. It seemed like my family really didn't want me being independent.

Walking outside, I took my first real look at the house. It was small, and quaint, and looked cheerful with a pale blue paint coating it. It was really an old farmer's house that had been restored. I loved it already. The whole neighbourhood was full of clapboard houses, this one was similar but different. The people who owned the house to my house's left had been in the process of restoring it, and it looked old and welcoming. I just hoped the people who lived there were similar.

Speaking of the devils, the family were coming out - they must have heard the removal men leaving and come to say hello. Easing myself into a welcoming smile, I quickly dug through my bag towards the information I had been given. There was nothing about a name. I'd just have to wing it.

"Hello!" A friendly voice called to me - English, I think - and I looked up, the smile ready. There were three of them, a woman and a man, and then a petite blonde teenager. All seemed like they didn't mean any harm to me, and all names that I had ready fled from my head. Damn. "You must be the new neighbour. I'm Sally, this is my husband Simon and my daughter Sky."

They all had names beginning with the same letter. Wow, was that planned? I assumed so. "Hi, I'm," Mentally fumbling for a name, I ended up saying, "I'm Grace, Grace Donohue." I held out a hand to shake their's as I headed over to the fence separating us.

Their handshakes were firm. Huh. "Nice to meet you Grace." The man said, smiling at me. They were painters, I think.

"Nice to meet you too."

"Are you living by yourself, Grace? You look too young to be living on your own." That was the woman. They really were nosy!

The smile now definitely forced, I said, "I am. Unfortunately my parents passed away a few months ago, and I really wanted to get away from all of the sympathetic looks from my old town." I was lying through my teeth, but they seemed to buy it. "They left me some money in their wills." I shrugged in a 'what can you do?' way.

"I'm sorry to hear that." Simon was the one who spoke. It was with a jolt that I noticed the teenager frowning at me, and that she hadn't said anything. "What are your plans for your future here?"

"I was going to look for a job." I shrugged properly now, wondering what I was going to do with my free time - I'd never had free time before, and a job sounded nice. "I was thinking about working in a mechanics somewhere. Cars interest me." No lying there. I tried to tinker with my family's cars whenever I could, and that always got me in trouble.

The girl, Sky, relaxed, and finally spoke. "I think Kingsley has a vacancy. I'll talk to him for you, if you want? He's constantly having to fix my friend's car." She grinned, obviously remembering something funny, and I nodded with a quick thanks. "Come on, Simon, Sally, we have to get something new for the new exhibition tonight." Sky tugged on her parents' arms, and I sent her a brief smile. "Otherwise Karla will come."

"Maybe you should come too - you can meet everyone." Sally suggested, not letting the conversation drop, but her eyes widening slightly at the mention of that woman, Karla. "And be careful of Mrs Hoffman." The warning was odd, but I would probably have dealt with worse people.

"Maybe." I agreed, deciding that I wouldn't go, that I'd get settled first. "It was nice meeting you!" I called as they left, Simon raising a hand in farewell. Reflecting on it as I turned back to my house, I figured that it was nice meeting them, but that I wouldn't get too close to them. I didn't know how long I'd be here, and it would be easier just to keep my distance so there weren't any heart wrenching goodbyes or unexplained disappearances.

Deciding that I would go in and have a look around, I skipped up the steps and into the house. There were only a few rooms down here, a small kitchen and a slightly bigger living room that came off the small hall. At the end of it I could see another door, presumably the bathroom. When I checked, it was definitely the bathroom. Hesitating, I headed up the stairs to find another couple of small rooms. There was a normal sized bedroom, and then a tiny box room.

Satisfied with the upstairs, I returned downstairs to closer inspect the boxes that had been delivered. They filled the small living room - which was furnished with a window seat for the bay window, a comfortable sofa that took up most of the room, a small TV in the corner and a bookshelf - and I wondered where I'd keep most of it. My faithful suitcase stood next to the window seat, and for that I was grateful.

The first box I opened was full of books. I recognised most of them, and had liked them immensely. Who the hell had known this about me?! Maybe Harmony, or Lyrica... I didn't know. A small note fluttered out of the first book I picked up, and, grabbing it, I settled in the window seat to read it.

_Grace,_

_Hope you love the new house - dad made me choose it and the furnishings. Sorry if it's not what you like, I had to do this going on what my sisters liked because I hadn't met you yet. Which reminds me, the nicer ones will be heading your way tomorrow. I'll see if I can get away from dad and his controlling ways, but I'm not sure. He's been keeping a tight leash on us for the past couple of months.  
Anyway, hope you like it, see you soon._

_Guy_

I was surprised. At the most I was expecting a note from Lyrica or Harmony, but from a brother I had only just met? I was astounded! And his sisters? I thought he'd mentioned them yesterday. One of them was one of dad's closest followers... But I wasn't sure how many others he had. Were they planning on staying? I wasn't sure. I couldn't be sure.

I was sure of one thing though. And that was of one thing. That Guy had unusually good taste for, well, a guy.


	10. Chapter 9

**Author's Note: Here's another one ^_^**

_Chapter 9_

I wish I had heeded my next door neighbour's advice. It had been maybe five minutes after I had read the letter and had started unpacking that the doorbell had gone. I swear that if I hadn't had the door locked that she would have come straight in. As it was, I had barely got it open before the woman had burst into my house. I managed to stuff the note in my pocket before she thrust a covered dish at me.

The woman was dark-skinned with greying hair, and I was caught off guard. "Hello, I am May Hoffman, your neighbour from across the street." I now understood the warning that Sally had given me. "Ohh, you're all on your own! That shouldn't do - surely you should be with someone?" It was now awkward, at least on my behalf.

"Urm, there isn't anyone Mrs Hoffman. I've been cut off from people since my parents died-" I didn't get a chance to say anything more, and it was probably the worst thing I could have said.

"Oh, poor dear! I'll get my grandson Nelson over to see you, and I'll make sure that you're okay." After a while I tuned out, nodding pleasantly now and again so that she would keep quiet. I wondered how long it would take for her to talk herself out, but when she showed no signs of stopping I put on a tired expression and said,

"Mrs Hoffman, I'm afraid that I have visitors coming tomorrow. I moved out here so I could be closer to them - I was previously living in France with my parents and losing them made me appreciate my family." It seemed to quieten her, but I swear it had made her more determined.

"Oh well. I'll make sure that I drop by and make sure that you're eating properly. Losing family is not an excuse to stop looking after yourself." She kept talking even as I shepherded her to the door. Nodding, and watching her move out onto my small porch, I made sure to see that she had left before I closed the door, locked it, and fell against it.

People were tiring. Taking a quick breather to deposit the casserole dish in the kitchen - did she give that to everyone who moved in? - I made a note to return the dish to her soon, before I returned to the unpacking of my new things.

Later that night, unpacking mostly finished, I sat on the window seat and stared outside as it got darker, my frizzy hair loose around my shoulders. I watched as the family next door - I had never caught their last name - laughed and made their way to the car, obviously in a deep discussion. Other people were leaving their houses too, and I felt a deep sense of loneliness that I had never felt before, not even around my family. I didn't have that. I didn't have the chance to be like that with my parents - one was old and harsh and the other I'd only just met. Wishing that I hadn't had chosen to sit by the window now, I placed the book on the seat and closed the curtains, before dragging my feet up the stairs to my new room.

Feeling truly alone in a silent house, I decided to have an early night and get away from it all.

I had been awake for a few hours when I heard a couple of cars pull up, and pulling a jumper over my head, I went to greet the sisters that I hadn't met yet. Seeing that the family next door were enjoying the sun, I had to come up with some explanation for the girls. Unfortunately, I couldn't think of one. Flinging the door open and squealing, I looked at the three girls that had got out of the cars. "Oh my god! I haven't seen you guys in years!" I was fairly certain that my story to Mrs Hoffman would have spread around by now, and the three of them seemed to understand what I was saying. I raced across the grass, hugging the first one that I reached."Susan! You've grown so much! Last time I saw you you were twelve!"

"It's been too long!" The one I dubbed as Susan hugged me back, and I mind-spoke to her.

_My name here's Grace Donohue. _I grimaced. _Parents died earlier in the year, looking for a job as a mechanic, you guys are family. Oh, and we had lived in France for a number of years before my parents had died._

"Gracie!" One of the others said, joining in the hug. At the looks the family next door were giving us, I tried to explain as I broke away from the hug.

"Sorry, Simon, Sally, Sky. These are-are," Unsure of what to say, I trailed off, only for the one who hadn't joined in the hug to take over smoothly.

"Hi, I'm Willow. These are my sisters, Susan and Amy." 'Willow' smiled sweetly, saying, "We're her cousins. It's been a long time." She turned to me, faked a sob and said, "I'm so sorry to hear about Auntie Rachel, Grace! She was always my favourite aunt." We put our heads together, 'consoling' each other.

_Think they've fallen for it? _I dared ask.

_I think so. _She replied, before saying aloud, "We have a lot of catching up to do. You need to tell me everything." The look she gave me was meaningful, and I waved at the neighbours before I led the way inside.

With the door closed, we headed into the kitchen, me putting the kettle on for drinks. No one said anything until we settled around the small round table with mugs of steaming hot drinks. "I'm Grace." I offered as an ice breaker, and we all let out a breath that we hadn't realised that we were holding.

"I'm Wendy." The oldest one said. She was a dark auburn, but had the same spattering of freckles that Guy had.

"April."

"Savannah."

They had obviously gone with using the same beginning letter for their fake names. "You got our note then?" Wendy asked hesitantly, only for me to nod and her to get more confident. "It was the only way we could get a note to you without dad knowing."

"What do you mean?" It seemed like confusion was how I was going to be spending most of my time.

"He can tap into everything we do using Allison." She shivered, and one of the others took over telling the story.

"Luckily he got Guy to sort out here for you." Savannah said wistfully. From what I could tell, she was seventeen - and one of the twins. A wry smile settled on her face. "I am seventeen - eighteen next month. Still in my last year of high school though."

The conversation hit a serious note, and we fell silent, before we started a more general conversation to learn more about each other. I learnt that Wendy was number six in Guy's family, that she was twenty-five, and that she had found her soulfinder two years ago in the summer. She missed him horribly, and was hoping that he was waiting for her. April was a year younger than I was, and was an avid reader who was beginning a promising writing career. She hadn't found her other half yet, but didn't want to after seeing the anguish everyone else was going through. She was number eight. And Savannah had a twin called Alec who was incredibly protective, and both hated living in the city. They were numbers ten and eleven.

"Why don't you come stay out here with me and finish your education in Wrickenridge?" I asked, licking my spoon. We were all enjoying a pot of Ben & Jerry's that I had bought this morning, and my question was genuine. "It's not very big here, but I'm sure I'd love the company. After living with my nine siblings, being on my own is quite lonely. I wouldn't mind someone to share the washing up with."

Savannah lit up. "You'd do that? Wow! Thank you!" But then her face fell. "I can't."

"Why not?" I asked, having already envisioned the few months that Savannah would be staying with me.

April brought me back down to earth with one word. "Alec."

Thinking hard, I eventually said, "If you didn't mind sharing the box room with him then both of you can stay. I mean, we'd have to get a bunk bed or something."

"Thank you so much Grace!" Savannah enthused, and disappeared into the other room to call Alec. Her chattering filtered through into the kitchen, and I smiled.

"Thank you Grace." Wendy murmured to me. Before I could say that I was confused, she said, "Kaylee's been showing an interest of getting the twins into dad's good books. You getting them out of the house is the best thing for them right now.

"I'm not here forever though... I have to spy on the Benedicts." I muttered, only for April to rest her hand on mine.

"We know. But Allison hasn't started her mind tricks on them, and if they finish up here they can go on to University somewhere else. Live their lives." I ducked my head at her words, but I had a feeling that she was telling the truth.

"We're all doing it." Wendy assured me. "We've been planning this for a while - not you having the twins, but getting the younger ones to get away from the poison that is our lives. It's too late for us though." She looked sad, and I was genuinely shocked at what they were saying.

"What?"

"Well, most of us are eighteen and over. It seems like at eighteen Allison's power is strongest, and that's when she zaps us." April wriggled her fingers and giggled. "There are six others under that age." She shrugged, but before I could ask her what she meant, Savannah bounced back into the room.

"Alec put mom on - and she said yes! We just need to get enrolled and move in!" She squealed, and I smiled.

"If you want, I'll head down in the morning." I offered, and then added with a wink, "And get that bunk bed in."

The rest of their time with me was full of talk about Savannah and Alec, and how it was all going to work out. Still, I felt the underlying tension and wondered how Savannah was oblivious to it. When it came to the time for them to go, Wendy pressed some car keys in my hand, saying that they were a present from Guy. It was the one to the three door Vauxhall Corsa. Not the most stylish car ever, but it worked. "I'll see you soon!" I promised Savannah, who smiled and got in the back of the other car, Wendy and April getting in the front.

Seemed like living in Wrickenridge was going to be okay, but saying that two siblings I didn't even know could stay with me? Well, all I could wonder about was whether or not they had destructive powers before I started washing up Mrs Hoffman's dish.


	11. Chapter 10

**Author's Note: I will admit that I had no clue how the last chapter was going to go. But Savannah seems like such a sweet girl I just... Yeah. By my careful calculations the twins are the same age as Zed and Sky ;)**

**This is dedicated to my best friend Emily. I really want to say sorry that I've been a jerk to you, and I really hope you can forgive me.**

**And thanks to everyone who's reviewed it so far! Special mention goes out to sevenofdiamonds7 for their concern! c:**

_Chapter Ten_

It didn't take long for Savannah and Alec to move in with me - in fact, the very day that I first met Savannah I went and enrolled them at Wrickenridge High, and managed to get a bunk bed of off a family that were moving out three streets away for a relatively cheap price.

I even managed to get the job with Kingsley! It seemed like everything was settling into place, but the thought of having to spy on the Benedicts loomed over me. I didn't even know how to start, but I still had the feeling that I _wanted_ to know what they were up to. I often found myself looking in various directions with no real reason before I'd shake myself out of a daze.

Savannah and Alec had been living with me for a week. We'd settled into a routine and had managed to spread around the town that the pair were my two redhead cousins who were keeping an eye on me while finishing their education at the local school. Our routine went something like; wake up, greet each other and have breakfast before I dropped the twins off at school and I went to work.

They bickered all the time. I had come to learn that Savannah was the more outgoing of the two, the one more likely to get heated up in an argument, whereas Alec was the one to hold grudges and was a lot quieter.

All in all, we did get along pretty well which I was surprised about. And my fears that they would have destructive powers? They did. Of course they did. Alec specialised in destroying things. If he was mad, then my place would not only smash but be obliterated with no evidence of it left at all. When Savannah's emotions got high, she sent out a destructive force field. I wondered whether it was common for twins to have similar powers, but I couldn't be sure as I'd never actually seen Tenor's power.

I spoke to Wendy about it, and it was clear that she was trying not to smile at my predicament. The first time I had seen them get really mad at each other had been over breakfast on their first day of school (they'd moved to mine on the Friday so they could have the weekend to get used to things). I'm not even sure how it started, but the pair had ended up standing and yelling at each other. I had seen something explode before it vanished, and then I was bowled over by something I wasn't even sure about.

I had driven them to school. "Don't let anyone know you're a Savant. It could blow everything. And don't make friends with any Benedicts." I had ended up saying before they got out of the car. Savannah rolled her eyes and pulled her backpack out of the car, before she and Alec disappeared into the milling crowds. I didn't even see his reaction.

So, it was day eleven of the twins living with me when things got really weird. I had dropped them off at school this morning and had turned up at Kingsley's for work (like normal). It was after lunch that it happened. I was wearing my uniform of overalls, but the sleeves were tied around my waist revealing my white tank top, as I was getting really warm. My hair was just as frizzy as ever but pulled into a ponytail, and secured that way by my red cap, so that I could see what I was doing.

"Hey, Kingsley!" The voice was vaguely familiar, but I ignored it and continued working on the engine of the car in front of me.

"Hey Will. Car trouble?" Kingsley's deep voice rang out, and I froze briefly. Will. No, it couldn't be Will Benedict. He was in Amsterdam, on holiday! But wait - that had been over two weeks ago. He was home, and he knew too much.

"Yeah." A laugh echoed through the garage as I pulled my head out from under the bonnet, wiping my hands on a nearby scrap of fabric before heading towards the two men.

"Couldn't get one of your brothers to fix it?"

I turned the corner in time to see the tall dark haired man that had been at the station shake his head. Composing myself, I managed to force a smile onto my face and going over to them. "It's too advanced for one of us." Will admitted, hid hands digging deep into his pockets.

"Who's this?" I asked, fabric still in my hands.

Kingsley jumped before he replied. "Ah, Grace, this is one of the legendary Benedicts - number four in fact."

Will grimaced and looked uncomfortable - a feeling I knew all too well - before extending his hand towards me. "Hi, I'm Will. And you are?"

He was so damn friendly. "Grace, Grace Donohue. I'm new to Wrickenridge." I said, shaking his hand.

"You must know your stuff if Kingsley hired you." Will noted, and I felt a stab of annoyance at him.

_Stupid damn Benedict. _He stiffened and stared at me, and I wondered whether he was one of those fabled Savants who could hear everything you were thinking. I decided against that theory, thinking that he would probably have called me out on it by now. "She does." Kingsley said, bringing me out of my revere.

"So, why are you in little ol' Wrickenridge?" He probed.

I was ready for this. "My parents died a couple of months ago, and I have family in Denver so I decided to get away from being lonely in France. A couple of my cousins are staying with me and finishing up their senior year at the High School." I smiled pleasantly, but added in a touch of sadness to show that I missed my parents. He seemed satisfied, and left it at that - at least for the moment.

I thought about the meeting for the rest of the day, curious as to why he had wanted to know so much about me, before picking the twins up and heading home. They were chattering in the back of the car before I heard my name. "Huh?" I asked, blinking and focusing again.

"Alec asked whether it was okay if a couple of people from school came over this afternoon." Savannah asked impatiently, fingers drumming on the door.

Distracted, I said, "Yeah, sure. How many people? That way I can give you all something to eat."

"Just us and two others." Alec spoke confidently, but I could see that he was staring out of the window, and that he was distracted by something.

"Okay."

If I'm honest, I completely forgot about the fact that they wanted a couple of friends over. When the doorbell rang a couple of hours later and I answered it, I froze in shock.

"Is it okay if we come in, Miss Donohue?" The tall boy - no, he was almost a man - asked. By his side was the small teen from next door, and I stepped back to let them in. The male looked a lot like Will with his tall stature and had similar features on his face, and I'd managed to completely forget the girl's name. "I'm Zed Benedict, and this is my girlfriend Sky Bright." They shared a smile, and I finally forced myself out of my trance.

"It's nice to meet you Zed, and, urm, call me Grace." I closed the door and ushered them into the living room before going up to fetch Alec and Savannah. "You didn't tell me there was a Benedict coming over." I hissed as we came downstairs, only for them to shrug and join the others in the living room. "I have to go to the store, so I'll be back in time to give you something to eat." I managed to say as an excuse, grabbing my keys off the side.

I really didn't want to spy on the Benedicts. I just didn't have it in me, and I needed to get some air.


	12. Chapter 11

**Author's Note: Hey, here's my first update for the day! I'm really disappointed with the last one, and I'm sorry about that. Hopefully this one'll end up better, and I think I have the next two chapters planned out. Hopefully you'll like those, and I can see whether or not I can fit it in - but I doubt it. ^_^"**

**Anyway, as always, thank you very much to those who have reviewed, and they are incredibly nice & motivating. Don't forget to mention to your friends about this - I mean, if you want to that is..**

**Disclaimer: I still don't own this story, otherwise the series would be very much based around Phee and Yves (my favourite pairing) ;)**

_Chapter Eleven_

I had to clear my head. I had to avoid seeing the Benedicts so that I would stay in the dark in regards to whatever they were doing. I really didn't want to give my dad anything to hurt them. I didn't know them, and I wanted to keep it that way. But Will? Something about him kept bugging me, and he wouldn't leave my mind no matter how hard I tried.

He was tall, but not too tall, with a build that any guy would die for (I knew Taiko would), and his wavy hair! Will was dreamy, there was no doubt about it.

I shook my head, trying to get him out of my thoughts, and walked faster. I wasn't sure where I was going, as long as it was away from the house while the twins had friends over. Swearing briefly, I remembered that I had just promised to feed them later, that I would have to go back and make small talk.

"Thinking that I'm a stupid damn Benedict isn't polite." A relaxed voice from behind me said, and I faltered in my step before I replied.

"I'm sorry, I don't know what you're on about." My voice was smooth, even a tad confused, but when I turned around my heart skipped a beat at the man.

"C'mon Grace." He scoffed.

"You're Will, right? We met today?" I faked an innocent expression, though when he raised an eyebrow I dropped the act. "What do you want, and how do you know who I am?" Voice steely, I crossed my arms and took in my surroundings. The beaten wooden track that we were on seemed to stretch on for miles, and I had walked right away from the town.

"Grace Donohue. You could have really been more imaginative with a new name." Will looked at me expectantly, then his gaze softened. "Gracie. I promised that I would see you again, but I didn't expect this."

I stepped back, but of course there was no where for me to run to. "Will, I've changed. We're not ten anymore." My voice was little more than a whisper, my hair blowing in my face from the wind.

"No, you're still little Gracie who couldn't keep up." He came close, and I didn't move. It was as if I was paralyzed. Bending down, Will rested his head against mine, looking into my eyes. _I didn't think we'd be this._The thoughts snaked into my head, setting off thousands of fireworks inside me, everything becoming hypersensitive. I was acutely aware of his breath on my face, his hands skimming over my arms, and the way that I felt safe next to him.

I stepped back further, out of his arms, shaking my head. "No. This can't happen." I gestured to us, then started walking back the way we had come, furious with the outcome. Before he could catch up, I sped up into a sprint, not bothering to look back but feeling the wind tugging my hair and my heart tugging towards him. _This is stupid!_ I thought to myself with no idea why I was yearning to be in his arms when it wasn't safe.

Hearing the footsteps behind me slow, I allowed myself to send him a thought back. _Now it's you who can't keep up._ A smile slid onto my face as I reached streets filled with people, and I slowed, hoping like hell that he wouldn't end up at my house. A further allowance was the thought that he was actually my soulfinder, my other half. My speeding heartbeat confirmed this, as did my lightheadedness and the sparks that were still following the trail that Will had ignited on my arms.

"Damn Benedict." I muttered, rubbing my arms to warm them. I would have thought that my run would have made me sweat and warm up, but no, I was cold and wishing that I had picked up a jacket before I had left the house.

All too soon I was walking through my front door and past the living room where Savannah, Alec, Zed and Sky were obviously having a good time. Didn't they know that it was all terrible? That I was partnered with Will? That everything we knew would be ruined? I firmly told myself that I would not be alone with Will, and forget everything that had happened today.

I spent the half hour cooking pasta, my thoughts in another place entirely, when I felt myself being watched. Nervously turning, I fiddled with a loose thread of my shirt, half-expecting someone else to be looking at me. But it was only Alec, and for that I was grateful. "Grace." He started, before hesitating. Savannah nudged him (she was standing slightly behind him, and behind her I could see Zed and the petite Sky). "I was wondering whether I could get a motorcycle. I mean, I know we probably can't afford one, but it's hard being driven to school." I felt myself nodding, agreeing, and began thinking about how I could earn the money to pay for one.

"As long as you take Savannah." My voice was distant, even to my own ears, and I saw both of them furrow their eyebrows with worry.

Music was the conclusion that I came to. I wasn't that bad at singing, and often bars were looking for performers. I could find something local and earn the money for Alec's transport. It couldn't be that bad. Could it?

**A/N: Bleh. It's not the greatest, but got the basics down. Hopefully this will be speeding up soon, but this will have to do for today. I'll be getting a couple more chapters up tomorrow.**


	13. Chapter 12

**Author's Note: So, this is when it should start to get more interesting. Actually, that might be the next one... Oh well. Sorry :/ I'm also sorry about the lack of updates for the past few days, I've been caught up in a variety of things.**

**As always, thank you very much for your reviews, and please keep them coming! They're great to wake up to every morning. They're the highlight of my day ;)**

_Chapter Twelve_

"You're up." The brisk voice of the owner told me as I was sitting in front of the mirror, attempting to look presentable.

"Wait, what? I'm a backing singer!" I squeaked in protest from my place. I had managed to get a singing job, but as a back up singer. I was now sitting in the small rooms behind the stage of the music club, sharing the mirror with another of the backing singers, as I tried to tame my frizzy hair.

It was family night at the club, and as such it was Disney themed. For a lot of the past two weeks we had practiced the numbers for the performance when we weren't on stage, and I had rushed from one job to another. However, I had managed to afford Alec's bike, and he was happily ferrying himself and Savannah to school. What I hadn't realized when the two had moved in with me was that they only had a couple of weeks left. It was now the last Friday of the school year, and the pair were somewhere in the audience, ready to laugh at me when I went onstage.

"We're down by four main singers, and three backing singers. You're up, Grace." He told me with a straight face, before thrusting a piece of paper into my hand. "Here's the programme, you're covering for Zoe." Zoe was the most popular singer, and it was with horror that I looked down at the list. No! Zoe had been supposed to sing seven times tonight. There was no way I'd be able to sing all of those songs. The door burst open, and there stood the platinum blonde barbie that was Michayla.

"What's this I hear about BACKING singers being given more solos than me?" She hissed - and when I checked the list, yep, she was singing three times compared to my seven.

"We're juggling the programme around. Aaron, Zylen, Zoe and Helen aren't here. They called in sick." The owner said, before saying. "You're up for a few more, Michayla honey, but we don't want you to strain your voice." He was tactical, I had to admit that. She preened, but still hung around as he turned to speak to me. "You've got a good voice, Grace." He pointed out the songs he wanted me to sing, and I shook my head when he pointed to the last one.

"I can't sing that last one." I protested weakly, but he just smiled and said,

"Think about it."

"I can sing that last one, Mr Fray." Michayla said slyly, allowing me to figure out who the owner's name. He owned the music club - Fray's - and his two kids, Zylan (the older one) and Helen (the younger), were two of the more popular singers. They were also three or four years older than me, but I got on okay with them.

"No, Michayla." Mr Fray said firmly, before departing from the room.

Michayla turned on me, her glamorous appearance going, but before she could say anything, the other backing singer dragged me from the room. "You're on." She told me, pushing me towards the stage before vanishing down the narrow corridor. Glancing at the clock on the wall, I figured that she was right, and headed on the stage for the first song.

The band struck up, and it wasn't long before I went straight into the first song - Reflections, from Mulan. It was unfortunate that I connected with the song pretty well, and I kept my eyes closed for the first couple of verses. It was the full version, and I opened my eyes in time for the chorus.

_Who is that girl I see  
Staring straight back at me?  
When will my reflection show  
Who I am inside?_

_No! _I protested internally as my eyes found someone who I had avoided for the past week. Will. And the rest of his family were there too! His eyes widened too at the connection, and I tore my eyes away to look at, well, anyone. It was unfortunate that all six of his brothers were there, and that the few who had their soulfinders were with them too. My Will was there. Wait, what?! My Will? He was not my Will, and he would never be it, not if I had anything to say for it!

My eyes darted around the room before settling on the only door out of here - which was near where he was sitting. There was no way that I'd make it out of here, and I needed this job, if only for Savannah and Alec. Looking for the pair, I finally saw them near the front - unfortunately, it was just as the song was finishing, so before I could smile at them, I was hurried off stage by the presenter.

Even so, it wasn't long before I was back onstage, but this time as a backing singer for _"Why should I worry?"_, _"A Star is born", _and _"Once upon a time in New York city"_. My second big number of the night happened was one of my favourite Disney songs, _"On my way"_ from Brother Bear (with my backing singers!), before I was yet again a singing behind the scenes. I figured that I liked singing back up then solo, as otherwise all eyes are on you, even when people are eating, drinking and talking.

It seemed as though the owner really wanted to torture me, as I had to sing a couple of other songs that were, ah, suited to my situation with Will - them being, _"Part of your world (reprise)"_ and_ "Beauty and the Beast"._

It was luckily that I was off for the next few songs, having the other back ups singing while I hyperventilated backstage was always a plus sign. Either way, when we all took a break before the last two songs (we were going to sing the first, the other was to be sung by some guest performers), I got another massive shock.

"Grace, you up for singing A Whole New World?" Mr Fray asked me, eyebrow raised as he looked down at me. Hesitantly, I nodded, only for him to look at me very satisfied. "Good. One of the guest performers will be taking Aladdin's part."

"Hang on, who's the guest performers?" I asked, confused. I had thought that one of the three guys that were here would take the other part.

"A local musically talented family, the Benedict's. One of their sons is taking the part." He impatiently waved me away, and I turned to the three guys who were standing behind me. I had a feeling I knew who would be singing - if he could sing, that is.

"Peter, John, Jerry! Why can't you take the other part?" I asked, pleading to their consciences. They all shook their head, but it was Jerry who replied.

"It's not that bad, Grace." He told me, before he pushed me to the stage.

"Oh yes it can." I muttered, before I met up with the Benedict boy behind the curtains.

"Heya Gracie." Will was relaxed - as shown by his hands swinging by his sides. Glancing out of the corner of my eye though, I could see his hand shaking where it held the mic.

"You haven't done this before." I accused, hugging my arms around myself so that I would resist the urge to hug him. When he shook his head, and looked so sad, my heart ached yet _again. _"Right."

_"And the second to last performance tonight is our very own Grace Donohue, and the talents of guest star Will Benedict."_The presenter's voice floated through the curtain, and on a whim, I grabbed his hand. He looked at me curiously before we were on the stage.

_Don't look at the audience._ I whispered into his mind, my hand preventing him from looking out at the audience. _Forget that they're there. If you ignore them, you won't feel so nervous. _Not before long we were in the midst of the song, lost in the lyrics.

I could almost forget that he was a Benedict, and my only thoughts are that he was my soulfinder, that this was _now_ and that there wasn't anything stopping us. _I'm sorry. _His face softened from the nervous mask that it was while we were singing, but it was all too soon that the music ended, and we were standing incredibly close, caught up in an intensely private and personal moment with our hands entwined.

**A/N: Okay, so I'll admit it. I had to split this into two because the second half kept growing. So I'll leave you this and post the next chapter in a few hours. Enjoy!**


	14. Chapter 13

**Author's Note: So I was going to wait a little longer, but I've had this ready for the past four or so hours. Bleh, never been one to write a good moment, so I hope this is okay for you all. Please feel free to review as they make my day and thanks to all who have reviewed! Urm, in regards the "set list" for the songs for the last chapter, if you want I can send you them so you understand my thinking.**

_Chapter Thirteen_

Horrified by the intensity of the moment, I pulled away, but not before I saw the hurt flash across his face. Seeing him hurt made me hate myself a little bit, but I shook my head free of the thoughts. "I can't do this." I told him, racing off the stage and towards the exit. Dimly I noticed that none of the Benedicts were sitting at the tables that they had occupied earlier, and I was almost at the door by the time Will had caught up with me. Damn. I'd never realised how fast he actually was. It was probably to do with his fantastic build.

"Why not?" He asked, clearly frustrated. "Sky and Phee both said that to my brothers, and it's turned out pretty well for them." Laughing humourlessly, his eyes darkened.

_"Percussion_  
_Strings_  
_Winds_  
_Words"_

Faintly I could hear some music in the background, but I was just as frustrated as he was and instead shook my head. "You don't get it, do you? I don't want to do this. I don't want you." I hissed harshly to him, and it was then that I realised that we were attracting some stares.

_"There you see her_  
_Sitting there across the way_  
_She don't got a lot to say_  
_But there's something about her_  
_And you don't know why_  
_But you're dying to try_  
_You wanna kiss the girl"_

It was not the right moment for the other song. The final song. I was finally listening to it, and noticed that Will had managed to pull me into the ring of tables that had probably been moved for this moment. Swearing briefly, I looked around for another exit. "Will, I-I can't." I shook my head, much like he had before we had gone onstage.

"Why not?" He asked me quietly, taking my hand and pulling me closer to him. "We've got the music." Smiling slyly, he lowered his head, only for me to turn away from him.

_"Yes, you want her_  
_Look at her, you know you do_  
_It's possible she wants you, too_  
_There is one way to ask her_  
_It don't take a word_  
_Not a single word_  
_Go on and kiss the girl"_

"You told your family?" I asked him, gesturing towards the stage. It was them, naturally, who were singing. One of his brothers, Zed I thought, was the one taking the lead. He looked just as nervous as Will had before he had gone on, and the kindly voice that joined him was that of Sky (who looked even worse, if that was possible).

"I had to. I had to get them to help me."

"You don't get it, do you?" Hissing, I looked around at the people looking expectantly at us. They were looking like they knew something was going to happen, that this was part of the act. "This can't happen! We can't happen!" I gestured between us desperately, trying to convey across _something._ I wasn't even sure what I meant any more.

_"Sing with me now_  
_Sha-la-la-la-la-la_  
_My, oh, my_  
_Look at the boy too shy_  
_He ain't gonna kiss the girl_  
_Sha-la-la-la-la-la_  
_Ain't that sad_  
_Ain't it shame, too bad_  
_You gonna miss the girl"_

"They're enjoying this." Will muttered, and I looked up to see one of the Benedict brothers wink at me. Shaking my head again, shocked, I returned my gaze to the man in front of me. "We're destined to be together, Grace." He murmured, once again capturing my eyes with his.

"Will." I whispered, losing (or, rather, forgetting) all of my arguments as to why this couldn't happen.

"Grace, who are you really?" He asked, voice gentle and hands caressing my arms. "I saw you in Amsterdam, don't think I didn't recognise you because you changed your hair and grew prettier. You always were Gracie from when we were little."

Stilling, I ducked my head, watching as he slipped his hands into mine. "I'm not her anymore." I whispered, tears trying to escape my eyes.

"Hey, hey, don't cry." I didn't deserve him, and he deserved better.

_"Now's your moment_  
_Floating in a blue lagoon_  
_Boy, you better do it soon_  
_No time will be better_  
_She don't say a word_  
_And she won't say a word_  
_Until you kiss the girl"_

"I've changed." I tried saying, only for him to shake his head.

"No you haven't. You're still here." Will tapped my forehead, a strangely intimate gesture that I hadn't really thought would let the tears fall. But fall they did.

"That girl is long gone." I said firmly, catching his hand, stopping him from wiping them away.

_"Sha-la-la-la-la-la_  
_Don't be scared_  
_You got the mood prepared_  
_Go on and kiss the girl_  
_Sha-la-la-la-la-la_  
_Don't stop now_  
_Don't try to hide it how_  
_You wanna kiss the girl_  
_Sha-la-la-la-la-la_  
_Float along_  
_Listen to the song_  
_The song say kiss the girl_  
_Sha-la-la-la-la-la_  
_Music play_  
_Do what the music say_  
_You wanna kiss the girl"_

"I told you, I don't believe that." Will murmured, coming closer - if that was even possible by now. The music swelled, and I could hear each of the Benedicts singing. The seagull that was in the film was taken over by the oldest Benedict brother, Trace (I remembered him), and, while Will managed to crack a smile, I laughed through my tears. Finally allowing him to brush them away, I rested my hands on his chest, feeling his heart beat in time with mine.

"There are people watching." I whispered to him, aware of our audience.

"I don't care."

_"You've got to kiss the girl  
Why don't you kiss the girl  
You gotta kiss the girl  
Go on and kiss the girl."_

Our heads inched closer, and he bent down towards me. Closing my eyes, I felt his hand still on my cheek, the other claiming one of mine.


	15. Chapter 14

**Author's Note: Hello all - haven't updated for a few days, been a bit busy with Cara if I'm honest. And school work. Because that excuse, ahem, sort of works. (I haven't touched any revision materials since I started these.) Thank you very much for your very kind reviews, and please feel free to check out Chasing Cara!**

_Chapter Fourteen_

"I told you I can't do this." I whispered to Will the moment before our lips met, standing back and away from him. I watched his face fall, and his emotions (mainly hurt) passed quickly over it. Turning on my heel, I hurried backstage, keeping my head down so that I didn't have to see anyone's faces. Brushing past the people who had crowded forward to see what had gone on, I found my way into the dressing room that I had shared with a few of the others. Stuffing my things in my bag, I felt the owner's presence behind me. "Look, you can take the money for the outfit out of my paycheck. I've got to go, I-I'm not sure when I'll be back." Pausing for a moment, I added. "If I'll be back."

Without waiting for him to reply, I grabbed my bag and pushed past him, keeping my head down and ignoring his protests. Making sure that I exited through the back door, I ignored the voices calling out behind me, and winced when I felt my mental barriers being bombarded against.

_Gracie! Gracie please, come back. _That was Will.

_Why aren't you answering him, Grace? _One of his brothers, I think.

_He needs you. _A different sibling.

Throwing my shields up as hard as possible, I made them as thick as I could but I could still feel the constant messages. Feeling the beginnings of a headache, I walked down the street towards my car, then stopped and wondered what I should do. Should I go back to Will? No. I couldn't. There was no way I'd be able to get away with that because of my family, and I really didn't want to. So why did it hurt now that I'd walked away? Soulfinders were myths, stories parents told to their kids to give them hope so that they wouldn't become complete screw ups. I was trying so much to believe what I was thinking that I didn't feel the hand on my shoulder.

Damn, rookie mistake. "Don't jump." The person said, squeezing my shoulder in a threatening way. Trying to figure out if the person was male or female, I nodded, wondering who the hell would be able to creep up on me.

"Nice one, Randall." A female voice approved, and the hand left my shoulder as "Randall" joined the other person. Randall. I'd heard that name before - but where?

"You think?" The first voice said, highlighting their youth and their want for approval.

"Only you have the power to sneak up on people." The other was layering on the fake acceptance, and it made me feel sick, and realise where I had heard the name before. Randall was my sixteen year old half-brother, the one who had hung around the edge of the really dangerous group.

"I know." Randall was smug - why? Couldn't he see her falseness?

"Grace." She turned to me, and, knowing where Randall had come from, I sort of recognised her too. The woman didn't have ginger hair, so she couldn't be Guy's sister. My blood ran cold. It was Allison, the one with compulsion. "We haven't had an update from you with the Benedict thing." She faked worry, and used a high falsetto voice. "Dad's sent us to find out more - and he wanted to give Randall here a test run." A sickeningly sweet smile accompanied her words.

Lie. I had to lie. I knew that, but my mouth was dry and I couldn't speak.

"Donovan." Allison snapped, and suddenly I could talk again, and think properly. That was one of Guy's brothers, wasn't it? But it meant that there were more people around me than I thought. I didn't know where they were, or why they were there. _**"Grace Donohue. You will stay in Wrickenridge until your job is complete, or, were you to wander off, you are to want to return to dad's side."**_They really weren't going to leave anything to chance. I could feel the compulsion now, to go towards the Benedicts or to head towards the large house on the other side of Denver.

"I've had to settle into the town, let them know I'm not a threat." I found myself lying, and concealing that Savannah and Alec had become close friends with Zed and Sky. "I met one of the brothers, Will, at the mechanics where I work. I'm trying to settle in so I can get more dirt." I argued to them, trying to convince them that I was telling the truth.

"We'll come and collect more later. With or without your co-operation." Allison promised me, then waved her fingers in a small wave. "Toodle-oo Gracie." She added, walking away with Randall.

Seeing that they were gone, I collapsed to the floor, unsure of what to do. Tears welled up in my eyes, and I heard more footsteps running towards me. "Grace!" A male voice called from further down the street. Glancing up, I saw Will running towards me, and made sure that I was holding all of my things before I jumped.

Looking around the living room of my house and feeling the usual nausea, I figured that I couldn't stay here. I couldn't. Not when the Benedicts would be back incredibly soon, and the first thing that they would do would be to come here. I couldn't let them find me. But I had the problem of Savannah and Alec. Our father had roped Randall into his little club, and there was always the risk that he'd try to get them. Deciding to send them a quick text before I started packing, I stood in the kitchen, punching in the numbers with shaky hands.

_I hv 2 go trvllin. Not safe. U wanna cum with?_

Heading upstairs and grabbing a duffel bag, I contemplated what I had. There wasn't much that was actually mine here, most of my clothes I borrowed from family and ultimately were their's. I had no right to take them, and instead pulled the few things that belonged to me. Checking my phone, I smiled at the response.

_Yeah! Where we going?_

_Have to leave now. Will give u address later. Tell no one ur going. Bring evrythng tht's urs._

_Ok._

Pleased with the outcome, and that they would be coming with me, I hurried around to see what else I used regularly. I'd heard rumours about savants with the power to track people, and I had no clue whether one of my siblings had that ability. I just couldn't risk it. Not with the twins. At some point on our travels - soon - I would find them a university and get them enrolled with new names so that they wouldn't be found. From then on I would travel alone, trying to avoid the urges to find out more about the Benedicts or the one to return to my father.

One of the last things that I picked up was the book that contained Guy's letter. For some reason, I wanted to keep this sibling close. He was one of the most genuine people I had ever met, who happened to be in an impossible situation. I really hoped that he would be able to return to his soulfinder. Wondering what his partner was like, I looked around the house. As far as I could see, there wasn't even a hair that belonged to me. Hearing cars pull up outside, I rushed to the window, just to see the Benedicts hurrying up the path. Heading through to the kitchen, I took a seat at the table, duffel bag at my feet, fingers drumming on the polished wood.

_"GRACE." _Will yelled both mentally and out loud, banging on the door. Eventually he realised that I had unlocked it, and came bursting into the house. Hearing him and his family come in, I heard the footsteps pounding up the stairs to see whether I was up there. "Grace." Glancing up, I saw him and a couple of his brothers crowding in the doorway. "Why? Why did you run?" He sounded heartbroken, and I suddenly wondered why I was still here. I could have gone, left without a word, but instead I was sitting in a kitchen having this conversation.

"I can't be with you." I said quietly, clasping my hands together.

"Why?"

"Because otherwise you're in danger." I ended up whispering, dropping my head so that I was looking at my hands.

"I can deal with danger." He spoke just as quietly as me, and when he moved to come closer, I held up one of my hands to stop him in his tracks. "I sense it. Why do I feel like you are in some?" Will wondered, his voice melting my resolve. I could deal with my family, if I had him by my side.

"Because I am." I stood up, pushing my chair back with a loud scrape. "Don't try to find me." Warning them, I picked my bag up and looked directly at him. "If you know what's best for you, you won't come. I don't want you to." Feeling like he could hear the quiver in my voice, I jumped.


	16. Chapter 15

**Author's Note: I don't actually read back what I write. I'll admit that now. Yep, fifteen chapters in I'm saying that. So that'll explain a lot. I did read back chapter thirteen, and I was shocked by how much thought I'd actually put into it (a good few hours). I wanted you all to know that I've been planning this chapter since I started writing this, that this is nearing a really good point. So don't close that tab yet ;) The waffle has to be used at some point, right?**

**Anyway, without further adieu, the chapter:**

_Chapter Fifteen_

I curled up on the cold hard pavement, trying to stop my nausea from overcoming me. By now it was common (I had, after all, grown up with it), but the pains in my heart were new. Scrambling to my feet, I looked around me as I hadn't focused on somewhere that I had wanted to get to. All I had focused on was that Will had lurched towards me, trying to get a hold of me so that I wouldn't leave. I was glad that I'd jumped in time, I didn't want to have to take him back.

But that left me in a lurch. I felt the need to get back to them, or to see my father. I didn't want to do either, and this place - wherever I was - was far away from them. I could tell from the sun pounding down on my back that it was true, and I had to figure out what to do now. It was the first time I had been alone, without my siblings or my hag of a mother telling me what I was supposed to do, and where we were going next. I had to think about my half-siblings too, which reminded me - I had to get to a place that they would be able to travel to pretty easily. And money. We'd need that, wouldn't we?

Frowning, I looked around again. I was in Aspen (I'd visited here some time ago), and was getting covered in the muck that was covering the pavement. Stumbling to my feet, I clutched my stomach and looked around. I didn't know how Will had found me in the first place because I knew now that the Amsterdam incident wasn't just a coincidence. They must have someone who can track others. Glancing around, I pulled the duffel bag on my shoulder, knowing that there was some jewelry that I would be able to sell at some point. Hurrying to the nearest cash point, I pulled my debit card out and put it in the machine, my hands shaking.

_"2301." _I muttered, punching the numbers in. It was important to me, this number, though I couldn't be sure why. It was a date, I think. _The 23rd of January._ Pondering what it could be, I took the $500 that I had asked for, and looked around again. I'd been saving for years with this bank account, so there was a decent sum in there. If I wanted to stay untraceable, I need to get that money out _now_, because it would take the Benedicts about three hours to get here if they had left immediately. Noticing that there was a bank nearby, I hurried in.

It must have been about half an hour before I exited the building, a stack of cash in my bag and my bank account closed. Feeling a sadness overwhelm me, I held my bag close, and started heading on foot towards the lake that I knew was around. Aspen lake seemed like a place that I could chill at for a couple of hours, before jumping to a different country. _I've never been to Japan._ I mused, speeding up my walk.

* * *

Rummaging through my bag, I looked at what actually belonged to me. A couple of old jumpers, some shirts, underwear, and two pairs of jeans summed up the clothes that I had. Nothing that would handle any extreme weather. The small jewelry box that I pulled out had actually belonged to my grandmother (on my mother's side, naturally), but she had died years ago and this was all I had left to remember her. She hadn't been a bad woman. Strict, but fairly loving. Better than my mother anyway. It had some delicate pieces of jewelry that I had managed to, ah, borrow from my sisters a while ago. The book with the note in was the last object that belonged to me (excluding toothbrush and hairbrush).

It seemed like I could literally vanish into thin air. If only. I had the twins to think about, I had to keep remembering that. Dad would set Allison on them soon. Feeling a powerful lurch to go back to Denver to return to my father, I ignored it and instead stuffed everything back into the bag. It was then that I noticed exactly what I was wearing. I was still in the dress that I had worn on stage earlier, the one that I had almost kissed Will in- NO. I wouldn't go down that train of thought. Suddenly disgusted with myself, I glanced around me before I pulled a pair of jeans out and one of the jumpers. Making sure no one was around, I quickly changed, just to end up standing there with the soft fabric in my arms.

* * *

Sometime later I was standing by the local cinema, hood pulled up, and keeping my eyes glued to the screen of my phone, trying to blend in with the teenagers that surrounded me. I was glad that I wasn't actually that much older than them. They had been a bit wary of me to begin with, but now they were just ignoring me. I don't think they realised how much cover they were actually giving me. I'd been in Aspen for four or so hours, and had arranged to meet with the twins, despite my misgivings about meeting up with them so soon. I'd seen a glimpse of the Benedicts half an hour ago, so I was debating whether to head in to see a film later, to see whether I could avoid them.

I was already planning exactly where I was going next. Somewhere that the Benedicts would have to fly a long way for, and a place that I could easily get lost in. I was thinking London, or returning to Amsterdam for a bit before moving on to somewhere else. First though, I had to find a University that would accept the twins. Edinburgh might be nice, in Scotland. Feeling a hand tap me on the shoulder, I jumped, only to see that it was Alec and Savannah. Alec raised a finger to his lips, while Savannah passed me a cinema ticket.

Seemed like I didn't have to waste money on that then. The group of teenagers that we had hidden in moved as one towards the cinema, filing in, talking and laughing the whole way. Casting a furtive glance around, I followed, strangely quiet. We broke off from the teenagers not far into the building, choosing to take a seat near the back, in the gloom. A place that I would easily be able to Jump from without drawing attention to us.

I didn't take any notice of the film. I don't know what it was about, but I heard Alec's deep rumbling laugh from my right side, so I guess it was a comedy. At one point Savannah slipped her hand into mine, and I was acutely aware of my cold hand in her blissfully warm one. It was at the end of the film that a lone figure walked in, and by the warmth that spread through my body I knew it was him. Will. He was looking around, obviously for me, and I sank from my seat to the floor, making sure that I had physical contact with my siblings. The instant I saw movement, I made sure that I jumped, pulling Savannah and Alec with me.

All I could think about before I did it was that of the dress, floating in the murky waters of the lake, symbolising that I couldn't go back. Not to Will. Not to anyone. A deep sense of sadness overwhelmed me, and I wondered whether I'd spend the rest of my life running.


	17. Chapter 16

**Author's Note: I've been thinking heavily about this lately, and I'm finally set on what I want to happen. I have spent many days thinking about Grace's "song", and it was actually at a rounders match that I figured out what it is. I'll keep it quiet for now because it plays a key role in future chapters.**

**Anyway, I'm updating this for the second time tonight, and I'll see whether I can post something for the other two (if you don't know what they are, it's Chasing Cara and then Clearing Chase) tomorrow, after homework. Thank you very much for your reviews, and, as always, enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: Haven't done this for a while, but Finding Sky & its sequels belong to Joss Stirling, and any music mentioned belongs to respective owners. Grace and her family are mine, so no stealing!**

_Chapter Sixteen_

"Look, I don't care what you say, I need those documents." I hissed to greasy Sal, leaning across the bar to look at him. Flicking my plait over my shoulder impatiently, I placed a hand on my hip.

"It's gonna be another thousand quid." He replied lazily, rubbing at the counter between us. Disgusted, I took a swig of my beer, shaking my head. This was going to ruin me. I'd managed to find a guy to do the twins fake documents for half the usual price, pretty good quality, and now he was screwing me over. That brought the total cost to almost fifteen hundred pounds. "You don't like it, find someone else."

Placing my drink down slowly, I pulled my purse out of my faithful duffel bag before counting out half of the notes that he would need. "You get the other half when I'm satisfied with the quality." I told him, watching his mouth drop. "I'm not stupid. I give you all of it, and I'll never see you again. This is insurance, see?"

Satisfied with our conversation, I swung my bag over my shoulder and made to leave, glaring at any of the men who dared to wolf whistle at me. "They'll be done in two days." I heard him call, and I left the pub. We'd been in Edinburgh for almost a week now, and it seemed like the Benedicts hadn't had a chance to fly over yet. They probably needed visas, but I really didn't want them to risk finding me. I needed to save Savannah and Alec, no matter what I did. I didn't want to stay here any longer than I had to.

* * *

"You're Luciano and Arleen Thwaite. You were born on the 7th September 1994, and you took a gap year to go traveling." I told the twins, passing them American passports. I had to admit, they were pretty good replicas of the real thing. I didn't want to think about the crime we were committing, and that if they got caught it would be all my fault. "Savannah, you've been accepted on a Veterinary Scholarship, and Alec, you have a Law Scholarship." Speaking confidently, I watched Alec inspect his passport, knowing that he was listening even though he didn't look like it.

"I thought they stopped accepting in April." Savannah asked from the end of the double bed. We were currently in a cheap hotel name under assumed names, and I had only been able to afford the one bed, which the twins shared. I slept on the floor.

"I pulled some strings. I know one of the admissions people." I spoke vaguely, gesturing wildly. I'd actually gone to Edinburgh University for a while the year before last, and I'd had to twist some arms to get them accepted so long after the deadline. I looked down at my hands before I spoke again. "You're going to have to get an evening job or something, to pay for food. I've got to keep a low profile..."

"It's fine. I'll waitress, Alec will wash dishes." Giggling, she nudged her brother, and I found a smile slip onto my face.

"Good news is that you can move into your accommodation tomorrow, early." I added, watching both of their faces light up. "But first, I need to give you something if the Benedicts track you down here..."

* * *

The next day, I waved goodbye to them before they walked into the University together. It was a sad moment, but I was glad that they'd be out of the way of our family. Still "yearning" for home, I remembered briefly what I had given Savannah. Or rather, dictated to her. A letter. I wasn't sure whether any of the Benedicts (or, again, my siblings) could trace anything, and I didn't want for it to lead them to me. So Savannah had written it for me.

_Dear Will,_

_Whatever you think, it isn't their fault. Susan and Aaron aren't my cousins, they're my half siblings. There is a serious problem going on, and I want to tell you to not dig into our pasts. They're here because it's the safest thing for them, and I don't want them to be deported because of something I've done. They can be traced, obviously, because I've heard about Savants who can track people. We've taken every precaution that we can think of, leaving nothing behind, and I don't want this to be ruined. I've done too much for them._

_I'm sorry for running out on you, but it's for the best. I'm not in danger, I am the danger. I am dangerous to you and your family and I don't want to be the reason that you lose one of your siblings. I feel like I have to tell you this, but if you see anyone remotely similar to me (as in, a sibling resemblance), don't talk to them. Run. Run you clever boy._

_And remember me. Because I'll remember you._

_There's far too much to explain, and most of that I can't say. Be wary of a threat to the US, I've heard rumours about a Savant leader planning on taking over the States. The twins don't know anything about this, and I don't want them to know._

_With, well, love,_

_Grace_

I honestly thought it revealed too much, but I couldn't leave without an explanation. Not again. Hopefully he'd understand what I'd said and listen to me, but I severely doubted it. He wouldn't have gone to Amsterdam if not to find me, or to follow me to Aspen. I'd have to keep on the move, keep going, and not let him get a chance to predict where I'm going. Stopping with the University still in view, I dropped my phone (it had been turned off since I had sent a text letting the twins know where to meet me in Aspen) on the floor, and stamped on it. Not stopping until it was destroyed, I felt more alone than I have ever felt before.

Tucking the ruined phone into my pocket, I jumped, wondering what my future would hold for the life of a fugitive.


	18. Chapter 17

**Author's Note: Hey again! I'm going to try and make up for my lack of posting for the last few weeks. This story, I think, should start wrapping up at some point, and I hope to get to that point in the next few days. To those of you who asked, yes that was a Doctor Who reference - I'm having withdrawal symptoms! Haven't seen an episode in at least three or four weeks...**

_Chapter Seventeen_

_"I'm sorry, mother... I'm sorry, I let you down  
Well, these days I'm fine - No these days I tend to lie  
I'll take the West train, just by the side of Amsterdam  
Just by my left brain, just by the side of the Tin man"_

Playing the second hand guitar that I had bought in the United Kingdom, I was trying to earn some money by busking in the tube station. The song, Amsterdam by Imagine Dragons, reminded me of the first time I had seen Will. It felt like a lifetime ago. I'd be on the move for at least a year now, and I'd seen Will in every country that I'd been to. I'd slept on various door steps, benches and some Youth Hostels for so long, I had forgotten what it was like to stay in a warm bed. It hadn't been just Will that I'd seen, I'd seen various people following me.

I had never felt so unsafe. And even after being a way for a year, I had the urge to return to my father, to be by his side and to tell him everything about the Benedicts that I knew. That I was Will's Soulfinder, and that only two Soulfinders remained yet to be found. I wasn't entirely stupid, I had guessed what was going on.

Strumming the final chords of the song, I thanked the people that paused to drop a few coins into my guitar case. This was my third week in New York, and people were fairly kind with their giving, but it wasn't enough. I was wasting away. I also had a permanent headache, and the nausea that only usually accompanied my teleporting was a constant. Stopping to breathe deeply, I smiled weakly at the people around me. "Encore!" Someone shouted, though I couldn't see exactly who had said it because the world was spinning. Shaking my head only made the dizziness worse, and I stooped to store my guitar away before swinging the case and my old duffel bag on to my shoulder.

I didn't even know what happened then. I found myself on the floor, surrounded by people asking me if I was okay, if I wanted them to call someone for me. "I-I don't know." I ended up whispering, the nausea worse than ever, and I began to feel fainter by the second.

"Someone call an ambulance!" I heard someone yell, and I shook my head harder than ever, making myself worse. "It's going to be okay." The same person said from next to me, a woman, I think. Her hand touched my arm gently, before touching my head. "John, she has a fever." The voice became soft, soothing. "What's your name, sweetie?"

"I'll be fine." I managed to say, stumbling to my feet. "I just...Need to get to a bathroom." I muttered, swaying a little.

"Honey, I think you need a hospital." The woman caught me, concern clear in her voice.

"I just need to get to a bathroom."

"John, I think we need to escort her to the hospital."

The man, John, replied with contempt in his voice. "We have dinner reservations at seven, Erica."

"Those can be rearranged." Erica was irritable, but the sirens that accompanied the oncoming ambulance made her visibly soften.

Someone, presumably a paramedic, started asking around what happened, and before I knew it I was being bundled into the ambulance. The woman started to get in, but I held my hand up and managed to say, "You've done enough. Please go enjoy your meal." Erica nodded reluctantly, passing my bag and my guitar case in beside me. Pretending to ignore her giving her number to one of the paramedics, I instead proceeded to stare up at the ceiling.

What the hell was wrong with me? It was just nausea, it would pass, right?

* * *

Staring at myself in the mirror, I wondered whether other people would be able to see that there was something different about me. I felt different. They would see a sick girl, probably, in a hospital gown. I was too pale, too thin, gained from my months on the street. My wild hair was now straightened, cut short, and dyed black - I made sure that I found a plug every morning to plug in a pair of old straighteners that I had found to change my appearance. When I looked at my eyes, I saw a haunted shadow of what I had once been. I knew that if I looked at my body, then I would see most of the bones in my body.

I really wanted to think that the mirror in the toilets at the hospital I was in made me look worse, but I was almost certain that they wouldn't. Just as I was thinking about why I looked the way I did, the stall door behind me opened, and I hastily looked down to the sink, washing my hands. The girl that came out couldn't be much younger than my twenty-two years. She smiled at me, and came to the sink. I got a chance to look at her properly, and I appreciated that she too was in one of these awful gowns. "I'm Billie." The girl offered as a greeting to me, drying her hands at the dryer.

"Grace." I managed to say, stunned at the way that she was just expecting me to reply.

"I'm here because I have Leukemia. You?" Billie looked at me, as if I was here for something minor. I was taken aback by how straight she was with me, and I swallowed nervously. It was the first time I was ever going to say it.

"I...I have Pancreatic Cancer."

* * *

**A/N: So, what do you think of the twist? I kind of had to skip forward a year to get to the action. Please, let me know what you think in a review.**


	19. Chapter 18

**Author's Note: I'm very aware that this is dragging on now, so this should be ending in the next four/five chapters. I thought that I'd let you know that, so you can appreciate the last chapters! ;) I'm in the midst of finalising the planning for Clearing Chase (which got me an A* in my English writing), and I already have a new series planned.**

**Either way, the concern for Grace has made me chuckle. I'm not sure whether you'd say that this is an important chapter. I guess you would, because of the stuff that happens towards the end, but I'm not sure... But h****ere's the next chapter, so please read and review.**

_Chapter Eighteen_

From the very first day that I met Billie, I tried to distance myself from her. I couldn't stay in one place. I just couldn't. They'd find me - my siblings, and Will! I was better off by myself. I knew that. Then why was my heart aching for Will to turn up, to look after me?

Looking around the sterile room, I was bored. I'd been here for a month now, and Billie's easy chattering had bugged me until no end, until she went home yesterday. Now I was alone, and scared. The doctors and nurses had all told me that they weren't sure what was going to happen - I'd been put on a couple of rounds of chemotherapy in the hopes that it would shrink it enough that they would be able to remove my pancreas, but I couldn't see that happening any time soon. When they had asked whether I had somewhere to go home to and I had said that I hadn't, they'd booked a room for me in the local hotel that I could go back to when I had finished treatment.

I didn't want to think about how expensive it would be. I just didn't have that kind of money. In fact, I didn't have any money at all.

I spent my days throwing up because of the chemicals that they were pumping into my body, or playing my guitar. If I had any strength for that, I mean. It had been horrible how fast I had deteriorated. I could now no longer get out of bed without some assistance, and going to the toilet was a nightmare. I barely had the strength to do anything.

And the loneliness overwhelmed me.

"Right, you must be Grace Smith." A voice said from the doorway. It was unfamiliar, but I had been told that I'd be examined today by a medical student. "I'm Xavier Benedict, the student doctor." When I looked up at him, he was reading my obs and my medical history (of which there was little). He was a Benedict. Will's younger brother. He looked similar to Will, but was taller with curly hair and a more athletic body. Their faces had the same structure, long nose, same shaped eyes, high cheekbones. Turning away, I hoped like hell that he wouldn't recognise me. No luck whatsoever. I glanced back at him, in time to see him narrow his eyes at me.

"I know what you're thinking." I spoke quietly, clenching the sterile white bed sheets with my hands.

"And what's that?" Xav replied, coming closer and pulling the curtains around my bed so that we could talk more privately.

A lump catching in my throat, I realised that he was actually going to make me say it. "That I left Will. That I'm selfish."

"Yeah, that was what I was thinking." He slumped into the chair next to me, and I pushed myself up onto my elbows.

"You don't understand though. I had to go." Choking back the lump that was still in my throat, I said something that I've thought about for months but not yet had the courage to say. "I love Will, but I had to protect him. I-I had to leave him because I was putting you all in danger."

"Hey, hey, don't cry." It wasn't until Xav gave me some tissues that I noticed I was crying. I didn't give him a chance to speak before I began spilling my guts out to him.

"I had to look after Savannah and Alec." I sobbed, and at his confused look I expanded, "Luciano and Arleen. Susan and Aaron." Waving away whatever he was going to say, I continued. "Our...dad... He sent me to Wrickenridge, to spy on you. And something in me is yearning me to go back, to finish what I started, or to go beside my dad, help him with his mission. But Savannah and Alec don't have this compulsion, they're safe, free of his taint because I got them out of there."

"Grace, do you know what they're going to do?" His voice was quiet, and his hand found mine on the twisted bed covers. When I nodded, it seemed like he was satisfied with what I had said, and sat back in his chair. Weakening greatly, I lay back down, feeling the pain shoot through me. "I've got to call Will." He decided, and stood up to go. From what I could remember from when we were kids, Xav was the healer, and that he could tell you what your chances were.

"Xav." My voice sounded small even to my ears. "Am I going to die?"

He hesitated, before deciding that he should tell me. "You have Stage Three Pancreatic Cancer, Grace. Survival rate for the first year is 20%, and less than 5% disgnosed reach five years, if you have Chemotherapy, Radiotherapy, and surgery." My sobs getting louder and wracking my body, Xav pressed the button beside the side of my bed for the Morphine, and I felt it soothe the pain and make me sleepy.

"I'm tired Xav. I wanna sleep." I said sleepily, my eyes half closing.

"It's okay, Gracie. You can sleep. When you wake up, you can see Will." His voice sounded distant, and when I nodded, my head felt heavy. Before I even knew what had happened, I had fallen sound asleep.

**A/N: Yay or nay?**


	20. Chapter 19

**Author's Note: So, I'm not at school today (long story), and I'm on a computer away from my coursework, and I have free time. With fast internet connection, I thought that I'd update again considering I finished the last chapter early this morning. Anyway, here's another one!**

**Oh, and a big shout out to my fiftieth reviewer, fleurchen!**

_Chapter Nineteen_

There was somebody next to me. I was aware of that the moment that I regained consciousness, despite the grogginess that overcame me. Peeling back my eyelids, I turned my head briefly to look at the man next to me. My heart softened the moment I heard his soft snores, and I thought about how young and innocent he looked when he was asleep. It was no sooner than that had crossed my mind than his eyebrows furrowed in a frown.

I had been admiring him for some time before Will finally woke up. Looking away, I waited for the accusatory words that would no doubt accompany his return to consciousness. "Hey, you're awake." He said to me, and when I turned to see him, the smile that was on his face melted away all doubts that I had ever felt.

"I'm so sorry." I managed to say before the tears returned and I buried my head in my hands. Almost immediately, arms wound around me, comforting me while I cried.

"Shush." Will murmured, rocking me gently.

"I had to protect you." I told him, looking up through my tears, hoping that he would understand that I had to protect him. Or rather, protect myself from the heartache that I had been sure would happen. There was no way that my dad would have let me see Will, unless I spied on them for him.

"Xav explained." He was tight lipped when he spoke, and I wondered whether that was because I had left him or because of the information that I had shared with his brother. "I understand, you know. I get that you felt like you had to run. It's okay now, you're safe."

"I'm going to die though, Will. It would have been better if we hadn't have met." I managed to say, picking at a loose thread on the sheets, not meeting his eyes. It was a horrible thing to say, but it was true. At least in my eyes.

"You can still make it through this."

"I can't. I'm not strong enough. Besides, I can't even pay for the treatments." Embarrassment caused the blood to rise in my cheeks. I didn't know how I was going to pay for the medical bills, and I didn't want to have to rely on charities for the rest of my life. We were silent for a moment, before I added, "Please...Can you sit here with me?" I gestured towards the bed, wondering whether or not I was doing the right thing, or even if we would both fit on it.

Shuffling over, I used the control for the bed to make it so that I was in a sitting position, before Will got on the bed beside me. It was awkward for a moment, until he put his arm around me and I put my head on his chest. "You know, Yves kept offering to pay for your treatment when we found out where you were." He said after a moment, and I murmured some response. "Xav's sorry that he told us, but Crystal was apparently going to tell us anyway."

"Really?" I was half asleep, trying to stay awake.

"Yup." Will popped the 'p'. "She's a soulseeker and the reason I kept following you everywhere. I was always too late though." We were silent again.

"Will?"

"Uh huh?"

"Don't leave me?" I felt young as I spoke, memories resurfacing of having to leave him all those years ago.

"As long as you don't disappear again, princess." He whispered, pressing his lips briefly into my hair. "What did you do to your hair?" Asking in mock horror, moving his head away and lifting a few strands of my hair up, Will continued, "Is this a new fashion trend? Maybe I should get mine done like this?" It was then that I remembered my hair wasn't much longer than my chin and the roots had grown out - so I had mostly black hair with muddy blonde roots, and frizz that meant it got everywhere. I'd been told at some point that my hair might fall out, and the best thing to do was to not do anything with it, and not wash it. Which also meant that it smelt awful.

Lazily giggling at his comment, I replied with, "Would look great on you - what with your dark curly hair. Blonde is so your colour," and I returned my head to his chest.

* * *

We spent hours talking, trying to get to know each other. "I'm glad we met." Will murmured, running his hand up my arm, leaving goosebumps. Shuffling slightly so that I was more comfortable, I made sure that I didn't pull at the wires that came out of me (especially the hickman line, which was linked up to my chemo).

"How so?" I asked, rotating my head so that I could look at him.

"Better knowing you while I can, than wonder about what you're like." He shrugged, before holding the sick bowl up to me so that I could throw up. Running his hand through me short hair, he waited until I was finished before placing the bowl on the side. He'd been like that since he had turned up, and I loved it. I mean, my family hadn't tried to contact me (they no doubt knew about me being in hospital, what with the contacts my dad must have), and I didn't have anyone else.

"I guess." I managed, wiping my mouth with the tissue that he handed me.

"Are you okay if my family come visit you?" Will asked quietly, putting his arm around me again. Lifting my shoulders, I felt him exhale. "Good, because they're standing outside." Freezing, I watched the door open and a crowd of people came through.

"How many are there?" I muttered to him, talking rather than using telepathy as we'd figured out earlier that it made me feel worse.

"Every soulfinder has been found." He replied slyly.

"But I thought that there were two missing?"

"We got back from getting Cara and Chase two weeks ago."

"Oh."

I remembered the family. Trace was with a pregnant woman who had been introduced as Diamond, and a small child that I hadn't caught the name of. Uriel had his arm protectively around a small Hispanic. I thought her name was Cara, but I couldn't be sure. A fiery redhead accompanied Victor, presumably Chase. Xav was there with the exotic woman who had been at that train station so long ago. Yves and Phoenix were by the door, and Zed and Sky were by my side, laughing like crazy.

It was madness. And Karla smothered me. She seemed to think that because my mother wasn't here that she needed to take care of me. It made me feel worse than I had before, because it reminded me so much of that time ten and a half years ago when I had spent every waking moment with Will or with the Benedicts. It was strange seeing how the family dynamics had stayed the same, when I felt so out of place. Saul was wonderful, managing to direct Karla's attention elsewhere when he saw me get overwhelmed.

Will stayed by my side the whole time, fending off all of the awkward questions that I really didn't want to have to deal with - which didn't come up very often.

Eventually though, the nurses came by and kicked everyone out, telling them that they could come back tomorrow during visiting hours, and telling Xav that they would see him tomorrow when he came in for his shift. When they tried to get Will to leave, I clutched at him, showing my fear. The nurses caved, and Will was allowed to spend the night.

And that was how I spent my first night with my soulfinder. Wrapped up under a hospital blanket with him, with plenty of sick bowls nearby - just in case.

**A/N: I'm warning you now - the next chapter will be flashes of Will and Grace's time in the hospital, so it's going to be confusing. Just thought I'd prepare you! Please remember to review, because I love to hear (well, see) what you think of this.**


	21. Chapter 20

**Author's Note: Oh hey! Third update for today and only a few chapters left. So, recap. Grace is in hospital with pancreatic cancer and her dad's plan for taking over the world is coming to the climax. For this to work, I had to change "baby" to "princess" in the last chapter, because I forgot to do that before. Anyway, I thought I'd show you a bit of Grace's past, as well as the hospital scene.**

_Chapter Twenty_

Folding my hands in my lap, I allowed Will to push me out of the hospital in my wheelchair. Christmas was next week, and I'd been let out just in time for it. But it meant that I would be over-mothered by Karla (as much as I wanted someone to love me like a daughter, this was too much), and it would be overcrowded. It made me think of what it would be like at my dad's, and my welcome home.

NO! It had been over a year and a half, and the urge to return to my father's side hadn't left me. It just got worse. I smiled up at Will as he opened the car door and turned to me. I watched his eyes widen, and he spun around, only to be hit directly in the face. I watched him fall to the ground, and I opened my mouth to scream for help when I felt a hand clap over my mouth.

A voice that I would never be able to forget whispered in my ear, "I told you we'd come back later." The voice was nasty, and I could hear the pleasure in her voice as she dug her nails into my face. Not far off I could see someone who was so welcome.

_Guy! Please help me! _I begged him, only to watch him be joined by one of my sisters. Surprisingly, it was the one that I didn't know much about, Symphony. He shook his head when they reached us, and Symphony leaned down to my level.

"Mom says hi." She smirked, then lifted her perfectly manicured hand to my cheek, in a gesture of false affection. Her nails scratched my face as she stroked my face, Allison letting go of me. I didn't know what her power was - was she going to kill me? I didn't know.

"Why?" I asked, faintness overcoming me the longer I was in contact with her.

"Because you were always the one she needed the most." Symphony hissed, digging her long nails in my face deliberately, trying to cause me as much pain as possible. The faintness changed to everything becoming black, and the last thing I saw was Will left lying on the floor, unconscious, and then someone kicking him in the side. "Sleep well, princess."

* * *

_"Please don't make me go." I begged, hand clutching Will's._

_"Princess, it's going to get rid of the cancer." His voice was soft, sad, but reassuring, reminding me of what I had forgotten. Of course this operation was going to work. They were going to take out my pancreas, and though I would have to take tablets for the rest of my life, I would be okay. I would be okay because Will had promised me, and he hadn't lied to me yet. He wouldn't lie to me. I didn't deserve him, he was too good for me. "I'm not too good for you." Will whispered, and at my confused expression, he explained, "Your shields are down, princess."_

_Hastily remedying this, I looked up, and my eyes met his. "I'm scared."_

_"You wouldn't be human if you weren't scared." __I knew there was a chance that the operation would go wrong, that I would bleed out on the operating table. Better that then die of the cancer later, I kept trying to tell myself. "See you on the other side." He told me, holding my hand as the nurse injected some general anesthesia into my arm._

_"I love you." I managed to say, before I started feeling drowsy. Vaguely I remembered that I hadn't actually told him that, and I registered the shock on his face before he spoke._

_"I know. Love you too, Gracie." Then it all went black, those words echoing in my head._

* * *

_"Did they get it?" Drowsily, I reached for Will, who smoothed back my hair instead and kissed my forehead._

_"Yeah, they got all of it." He sounded tired, but fairly pleased, and I snuggled under the blanket a bit more. Hospitals aren't that bad, I decided, though I swore to myself that I would never say that to Will - or anyone, for that matter._

_"I'm really hungry." I murmured, eyes already closing._

_"Have some water." Feeling the cup pressed to my lips, I took a few sips, before I turned away. "You can sleep now, it's okay." Will whispered to me, still stroking my hair._

_"Don't let me sleep too long, 'kay?" Mumbling, I yawned, before I returned to that endless black void._

* * *

_"Remember that time when we put a frog in Trace's bed?" Will asked me, eyes gleaming._

_Laughing, I replied, "How could I forget? Two ten-year-olds against the wrath of an adult? That was hilarious."_

_"He was eighteen!"_

_"Still an adult!" He joined in my laughter, and it was good to remember all the bad things that we had done so many years ago. Trace had chased us all over the house until eventually we separated and made our way outside to hide in the bushes. Sure, we'd both got in trouble with Karla and Saul, but it was definitely worth it._

_"What are you two laughing about?" A voice at the door asked, and when we looked up, who else could it be but Trace himself? By his side was Diamond who was getting huge, and Willow - who was about a year old._

_"The frog." Mischievously, I looked up at him from under my eyelashes, watching him groan and then laugh._

_"You had to do that on my birthday, didn't you?" Trace grinned, taking a seat next to my bed, pulling Willow on his lap while Diamond took her space next to him._

_"The frog?" Diamond questioned, her eyes lighting up. We spent the next five, maybe ten minutes explaining it to her, and when we finished a dainty smile slid on her face._

_"When's the baby due?" I asked as I hadn't actually got around to asking her yet._

_"January." She beamed, rubbing her belly. "Two months to go. We're thinking Sierra if it's a girl, or Isaiah if it's a boy."_

* * *

_Stumbling through the bushes, I had no idea where I was. One moment I had been in the garden, playing with my teddy, and now I was in a forest somewhere. I knew that my 'gift' had meant that I could get to places, but I couldn't control it. I had to keep it hidden. I just had to, because mommy told me to. Hearing rustling near me, I turned, scared. Who knew what lived in this forest? It could eat me!_

_"Ready or not, here I come!" A voice shouted, and I shrank back into a bush, trying to conceal myself. Heavy footsteps came towards me, and the voice that accompanied them was loud and arrogant. "Vick, I know that's you" He sounded triumphant, and the leaves that hid me were pushed aside. The boy's face fell when he saw me - obviously he had been expecting someone else. He was about twelve, and big for his age. He terrified me. "You're not Vick, who are you?"_

_Hiding behind my mess of blonde hair, I spoke shyly, "Grace."_

_"Where's your mom and dad?" He asked, squatting to my level. But before I could reply, another voice interrupted me.  
_

_"Trace, you're really bad at this game." The newcomer complained. He looked a lot like the first boy - Trace - but had light highlights in his hair._

_"Shuddup Uriel." Trace was clearly annoyed, which made me shrink back into the bush._

_"Who's she?" The second boy asked, intrigued by me. "She looks like she's Will's age."_

_"Says her name is Grace."_

_"Pretty name. For a girl."_

_"Trace, Uriel! Where are you?" Another boy. Another big boy._

_"Come on, we'd better take her to mom." Uriel said, offering a hand out to me. I was nervous as I took it, but he was nice and didn't look like he was going to hurt me. But I had thought that about Taiko, and I'd been wrong then. He smiled at me, instantly making me relax. This one kept chattering to me, making me feel better the more he kept talking. Yet another person joined us as we made some sort of procession towards a house that suddenly appeared. It had to have been Victor, and his surly expression made me anxious around him. It was my fault. It was always my fault._

_When we reached the house, I began to lag behind, but Uriel tugged me on while the other two raced ahead. "MOOOOMMMM! WE FOUND A LITTLE KID IN THE FOREST!" The older boy yelled, faster than his younger brother and was the first one to the woman on the back porch. She looked up and her eyes met mine, causing me to shy behind Uriel._

_"Who's this, honey?" She said, some sort of accent in her voice. The woman came closer, and picked me up. From my angle I could see that Uriel was pretty happy that his mom had asked him instead of Trace._

_"I found her." Speaking of, the older boy was sulking by the steps, glaring at Uriel._

_"She said her name's Grace." Uriel ignored his brother, instead speaking directly to her._

_"Where's your mommy, Grace?" She cooed, turning and heading on to the porch where another boy played. I was getting dizzy with the amount of people around. Inside a baby started crying, and the three older boys ran inside. Sighing, the woman placed me down on the porch, promising that she would be back soon. Taking a seat next to the other boy, I looked enviously at the building blocks he was playing with._

_"You look funny." He said, and I glanced up at him, fear in my eyes. "Your hair's all in bunchies."_

_"My mommy did them for me." I spoke defensively, before pulling at them. "They make my head hurt."_

_"Why don't you take them out?" His wide eyes won me over, and I hesitantly pulled them out, knowing that my mom would get mad. My frizzy hair went everywhere, making him laugh. "I'm Will."_

_"Grace." I smiled at him, and Will offered me a block. Hearing footsteps, I looked around, before looking at Will again. "I've gotta go." I managed to say before everything blurred, and I was in my own garden._

_Had I just been making it up? I wondered, only to feel my hair blowing around my face, and saw the scratches on my hands. Maybe not then._


	22. Chapter 21

**Author's Note: I just read back the Will and Grace part from when they were little and aww'd. Never thought I'd write anything like that. XD Here's another chapter, because I'm trying to get this uploaded before NaNo starts on the 1st July. This is also something new for me, and I hope that it's okay - if you don't like the thought of pain and torture, feel free to skip this chapter.**

_Chapter Twenty-One_

"Wake up." A voice hissed in my ear, accompanied by some water directly in my face. Shocked awake, I tried to move backwards, only to find out that I was tied tightly to a chair. The voice belonged to someone I definitely didn't recognise. But of course, I was pretty sure that I would get to know everyone a lot better over the days to come. Otherwise they wouldn't have kidnapped me with Will there- Oh no!

Will! My sweet, dear Will. Was he okay? I pulled at the ropes that bound me to the chair, beginning to rub my wrists raw. It hurt, but I had to know whether they'd killed him. Had they brought him here with me? I didn't know. Looking up at my captor with hate in my eyes, I wondered who they were. They were probably one of my siblings - I recognised the curve of their mouth because it was like Symphony's. At the thought of my sister, I felt ill.

"What do you want from me?" I asked, trying to pull the rope apart but instead managing to hurt my hands more. The person who had woken me up - a male, dark haired - punched me in the face to shut me up.

"No talking." He said curtly, before exiting the room. The room itself had no door, so I could see him standing outside on guard, and I was tied to the only thing in it.

* * *

Hours stretched and no one spoke to me. My guard swapped with another, and that was the only thing that had happened. Eventually, when I was dozing off again, my head nodding against my chest, loud footsteps headed towards me, causing me to snap up to look at the door. Who else would it be than the tall Allison with perfectly straight dark hair, looking perfect? She was wearing a skin tight black leather suit, enhancing her curves. In comparison, I was in an old shirt of Will's and some leggings that one of his brother's soulfinders had lent me.

"Nice to see you again, Grace." Raising a perfectly shaped eyebrow, Allison bent so that she was looking directly into my eyes. "You know, lying to us is never a good thing." She spoke sweetly, though her words dripped with barely concealed venom. "We're going to have some fun now, and then daddy wants to see you." A slow smile sliding across her face, Allison stepped back, gesturing for the figures in the doorway to step through. I hadn't noticed them before, and now I was starting to see them come forward into the light.

They were both incredibly muscular, and held various instruments - not the musical kind, but ones of torture. It was going to be a long day, I decided. "Settle those down over there, Theodore, Lawrence." Allison waved her hand over to the corner of the room, and I heard the clanking as whatever objects they were holding hit the floor. "You're going to wish you were dead." Walking around me, she whispered into my ear, causing me to begin to sweat with fear. "You're going to regret betraying dad, and you're going to do exactly as he tells you."

"Never." I hissed, rocking the chair back, only Allison's strength stopped me from hitting her.

"Bring it in boys." She called, and the two men who had left the room without me noticing came back in, bringing in a hospital cot with leather restraints on. "And don't even think about using your power, Mitchell's preventing you from doing that." Sounding smug, Allison stepped back, and I felt the ropes behind me fall loose. Before I could think about running, strong arms were restraining me, and I was being lifted up.

Once on the bed with the straps tightened around me, I found that I couldn't move anything, that I could only look up at the ceiling. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw one of the men hand Allison a scalpel. Inspecting it as if to make sure it was sharp, my half-sister advanced on me, a smile on her face that spelled trouble.

Moments later, the agony started. "Please!" I begged, feeling like my skin was burning. Tears pouring from my eyes, I writhed on the cot, trying to get away from the burning trail of pain that followed the sharp blade as it sliced through flesh. "Allison PLEASE!" Screaming now, I started thrashing more and more, the leather restraints rubbing against my already sore skin.

"Help us." The voice managed to slip through my screams and into my conscious brain. Shaking my head as much as I could, the trail went deeper, and I began to see spots in my vision.

_Why aren't you here, Will?_


	23. Chapter 22

**Author's Note: Ah, so the last chapter was fun to write. As was this. Now, I'm sure that you know that this is coming to a close (shame, right?), but have no fear! There are the two sequels, Chasing Cara and Clearing Chase, that I have already started. Those are currently on hold until I finish this, so feel free to check those out.**

_Chapter Twenty-Two_

I wanted to die. I didn't know how long I'd been here, but I'd been through so much that I knew I was going to die soon. After struggling through cancer, this is what was going to kill me? It made me so furious. But it was okay. I've known I was going to die since I was diagnosed with cancer. I didn't know what was going to kill me, who did?

I had never expected to find Will again though.

I'd had the chance to just relax, get away from my family. And yeah, the cancer was scary, but he was there, coaxing me through it, being my rock. And I guess I would be able to deal with this if he just tried to get in contact, tried to let me know that he was coming for me. I'd heard nothing though. Maybe they'd actually killed him, I couldn't be sure.

The physical pain couldn't take away my aching heart, no matter how much they tried to hurt me. It couldn't be worse than the hell that I was feeling internally.

Footsteps echoing down the hall, I closed my eyes briefly, knowing what was coming. "Hello princess." The sickeningly sweet voice that belonged to the disgrace of a half-sister I had slid through the air heavy with moisture. "I've brought along a friend today." She added brightly, and I opened my eyes, meeting Taiko's. He smiled viciously, then stroked my face.

And the torture began again.

It took a different spin this time, Taiko ruining the inside of my body with his power, while I felt the physical pain that Allison decided to unleash upon me. She must have used a spanner or something, because it was more brutal than she had ever done before. The heavy metal struck my skin, often splitting it, and I felt a deep burning in my chest. Allison must have broken a rib or something.

"OKAY. I'll help you." I sobbed, just wanting the pain to stop. This had been going on for too long now, and the new factor of Taiko made things worse.

"What was that?" Allison asked nastily, obviously enjoying my pain and tears.

"OKAY, I'LL HELP YOU." I shouted louder, the room blurring through the wetness dripping from my eyes.

"Finally." She sounded smug. Why wouldn't she? She'd got everything she's wanted, hadn't she? She'd managed to recruit me to dad's army, and beat me into a pulp in the process. "Untie her. Take her upstairs." Instructing people I couldn't see, Allison was very much in her element. Seconds after she'd given her orders, I'd heard people leave, and others enter. The hands that undid the leather straps that kept me to the hospital cot were unusually gentle, and I curled into a ball, despite my injuries.

"Come on, Gracie." An equally gentle voice murmured, helping me to my feet, putting one arm around their shoulders and my other arm around the other person. The two people supported me from the room - no, they carried me - and down the corridor, though I kept my head down and watched my feet drag through the dust. Every movement jerked and pulled at my wounds, making me grit my teeth.

_I'd signed my life away to the devil_, I dimly managed to think through the red haze of pain. My head didn't hang with pain, it hung with shame. My eyes closing with tears, I felt the painful motion of going up stairs, though I didn't bother showing it. What was the point? They had won. They'd broken me. Will would be so ashamed.

* * *

"Sit down." A female voice told me, and I focused in on the chair in front of her and took a seat. "Dad thinks Allison's methods are a bit unorthodox." She continued, and I felt the soft tug of a hairbrush pulling through all of the knots in my hair. _Ow. Ow. Ow. This has to be more torture. _I thought dryly, and I swear that she was smiling when she called someone else into the room. That person was holding a large bowl and some clean rags, which she settled at my feet before kneeling gracefully in front of me.

The newcomer tittered when she saw my skin, and shook her head. "You're a strong person, Grace. So many have succumbed to Allison. I guess you must have something to fight for."

Nodding slowly, and clearing my throat, I spoke hoarsely through a throat ravaged with screaming. "I found him."

The pair exchanged his looks, and the one behind me spoke. "You haven't told us that, and you won't tell us his name." She was incredibly serious, no sarcasm colouring her tone, and I knew exactly what they were doing. They must have to tell our father everything.

Dipping the rag into the water, the one in front of me said, "I'm Phoebe." A flash of a different time slipped through me, and I remembered the tall willowy woman who had been the twin of one of the men, back when I had first been introduced to my family. Ringing the excess water from the rag, Phoebe turned her attention to the marks on my arms. I winced as she wiped the cloth over the half-scabbed marks, closing my eyes briefly to feel that it had been dipped in some warm water.

"Quinn." The other offered from behind me, finally running the brush through without snagging on anything. Pleased with herself, Quinn put the hairbrush down out of my sight before joining Phoebe in the process of cleaning wounds. Gasping, I moved backwards as far as I could go. She was the spitting image of Allison, though she looked older and tired. Flinching, Quinn continued what she was doing, trying to ignore my reaction. "Allison's my younger sister." She explained, adding, "We look a lot alike." Saddening her tone, "It was nice when we were little, now it's just sad."

I stayed silent, and the two started up a conversation about how lucky I was to have my hair, that they were jealous. When they had finished my arms, they told me to take off Will's shirt - I hadn't even realised that I was still wearing it. Amazingly, it was still intact - Allison must have made me take it off so that they could get better access to my back - though it stuck to the skin underneath. Briefly closing my eyes while they detached it, I caught my breath before I heard them gasp. Without even looking I knew that my back was a crisscross of wounds made from a chain, not a single piece of visible untouched skin. When one of them touched my back, I straightened it, only to wince in pain and resign to my fate.

It felt like forever while they cleaned my back, the water had to be changed three times, and more rags had to be got every few minutes or so. The stingy sensation made me gasp every now and then, but that was the only audible sound in the room. From my back they moved on to my front, Quinn lightly pressing her hand against my bruised skin. Feeling a sharp set of pain from my rib area, I yelled and barely heard her speak. "Four broken ribs on this side." She went white, and I shrugged painfully.

"Can't be worse than the cancer." I managed to say, causing them to reluctantly smile. They seemed horrified with all the marks they found - Allison had been very creative with her methods, using all manner of tools.

"Only broken ribs, and minor scratches on her face. Dad wants to use her." I overheard the pair talk once they had finished with me and I covered myself with the robe that Phoebe had passed me.

"I know. And Guy wants to see her." Quinn replied, and my heart dropped. He hadn't helped me in the park. He'd watched me being kidnapped, and hadn't done a thing to help. I hated him.

* * *

About an hour later - I knew that because Phoebe and Quinn stayed with me, keeping the conversation light - I heard the knock on the door, and Phoebe got up, tight-lipped, to open it. Without bothering to turn around, - the chair was faced away from the door - I knew it was Guy. "She's over there." I heard her say unnecessarily, and a quiet conversation ensued, ending when I heard Quinn get up from behind me, and the door closed.

Guy settled in front of me, looking incredibly tired, and a lot worse than when I had last seen him. "Why are you doing this?" I asked, only for him to ignore me and say something else.

"You should be dead with the beating that Allison gave you." He rubbed his hands together, not meeting my eyes.

"I wish I was." I shot back, watching him close his eyes in disbelief before opening them again.

"I'm sorry for everything Grace, especially this." He didn't give me a chance to reply before his cold hand touched mine, and I saw a flash of light. Distantly, I heard him speak. "I'm a personality manipulator, which is why dad still has me around. But you won't remember this conversation anyway." His touch on my hand became a vice-like grip, and his voice sounded so much closer when he spoke now. **"Grace Donohue."**

**Author's Note: I had too much fun writing this. So, what do you think? Lemme know the usual way!**


	24. Chapter 23

_Chapter Twenty-three_

Checking myself in the mirror, I made sure that my loose white blouse was tucked into my black skirt, and that my heels were shined enough. Daddy always liked it when we looked our best, and as his secretary, I had to look sufficiently important. Raking my eyes over my body, I saw little evidence of my fall down the stairs that had broken four of my ribs.

"GRACE!" Someone called from the hall, and I picked up my bag before hurrying out of my room. My face slipped into an easy smile at the sight of my roommate, my sister, and my best friend, Allison. "We're going to be late." She added, and I grabbed our keys off the table in the hall, before we slipped out into the early hours of the day. Feeling slightly uneasy, I glanced at her, and she smiled, banishing all of my negative feelings. I had those sometimes, feelings like things weren't as they were. But then I'd realise that this is my life, it always had been, and that I'd grown up with my siblings. Having forty-one siblings couldn't be more irritating at times, but I loved them. Who wouldn't? The only one who was a bit off with me was Guy, but he was weird, everyone agreed.

Slipping into the passenger seat of Allison's car, I sat back slowly. There had been some glass at the bottom of the stairs at our old apartment, and when I'd fallen it had cut and ruined my back completely. It still hurt a lot whenever I rested it against something. "Dad wants you to stay at the desk today." Allison said, flipping her indicator light on before pulling away. I nodded agreement. She was dad's PA, of course she would know what I would be doing today. As if she had seen my fallen face, she reached across the middle of the car to pat my bare knee. "I know princess, he just doesn't want you to hurt yourself anymore." Jarring at the old nickname like I always did, I had the feeling, yet again, that that name shouldn't be coming out of her mouth, but out of someone else's. But I didn't say anything.

* * *

"Hi, we'd like to see Mr Smith?" A cool voice from above me said, and I looked up from the desk, face splitting into a smile. This man was tall, and had dark hair pulled back in a low pony tail. Two people stood with him, one with an American football player's build, the other taller and with the beginnings of a beard growing. They must be siblings, I guess.

"I'm afraid he's away from the office right now." I spoke confidently - I'd been doing this job since I was seventeen, I was a pro.

"We can wait." The first man said, and I nodded.

"And who can I say is here?" I asked, inserting sincerity into my voice. I had a feeling about these three, that I'd seen them before and that they were bad news.

"Victor Benedict." The voice replied, and, as I bent down to write this on the pad in front of me, out of the corner of my eye I saw the slightly stockier one nudge the other one and mutter something.

"And who are your companions?"

"Trace and Will Benedict."

"Of course." Writing this down too, I stood up, winning smile emblazoned across my face. "I just need to pass this to Mr Smith's PA, if you can take a seat?" Gesturing towards the ample seats in the waiting room, I walked down the hall, tottering slightly on my heels. I was unsteady, it must have been because I hadn't been in heels for the past month or so. "Allison." I called, seeing her come out of dad's office. "We have some visitors for Mr Smith." Passing her the note paper, I saw her eyes widen.

She hurried down the hall, me hot on her heels. "You told them that dad was out, right?" I heard her mutter, and as soon as I made a sound of agreement, she sped up. "Mr Benedict." Allison smiled, offering out her hand to the one who had called himself Victor. "I'm Allison Meyer, Mr Smith's personal assistant. I'm afraid that Mr Smith won't be in for the rest of the week."

"That's too bad." Victor looked pretty sorry, I guess, and I had another one of those weird moments when I met one of his brothers' eyes. I felt...safe...around him, whereas I was always on ice around Allison. But all too soon that feeling was gone, and I returned to the conversation. Allison and Victor were arguing now, and I stood awkwardly to the side.

"Is there anywhere to get a drink?" The well-built brother asked, and I nodded, smile ready again.

"Allison, I'll just take Mr Benedict for a coffee down the street." Distracted, Allison nodded, and I grabbed my jacket and purse from my desk. Leading the way, I stepped through the sliding doors and said politely, "Do you come to Denver often, Mr Benedict?"

"No, I'm just passing through." He replied, hands deep in his pockets. "And please, call me Will. You're Grace, right?" Glancing at him, I realised that he already knew.

"Yes, Grace Donohue."

"How long have you worked here?"

Feeling smug, I slipped into my jacket, being careful not to bash my back unnecessarily before I answered his question. "Five years in January."

"Five years, wow." He gave a low whistle, before I opened the door for him to go into the coffee shop that I was a regular at. "You know Christmas is in a few days, right? Spending it with anyone?"

We had joined the queue before I replied. "With family. I just haven't me the right man yet." I didn't particularly _want_ to meet the right guy. Why would I, when I had my family? Besides, this Christmas was special, dad promised. We were going to do something incredible on Christmas Eve, and then more people will listen to us. He promised. Still, I felt as if a part of me was missing, and when I glanced at Will, I saw the pain cross his face before it cleared. It made me wonder I had just been imagining things. It was rather awkward, and when I stepped up to the counter, I flipped my hair over my shoulder and said, "The usual, please." The woman at the counter looked confused. "Look, I've come here every day for five years, you should know my usual is a non-fat semi-skimmed cappuccino."

"I'm sorry Miss, we've never seen you before." The woman, who was called Carrie (it said on her name tag), looked rather embarrassed, and my mind reeled. She was lying, of course she was. This was the place that I got my coffee every morning!

"Yes you have. I've been here every day for the past five years!" I was getting really agitated, which reflected in my voice.

"Miss, you're holding up the queue." Carrie said timidly, shrinking back a bit as she handed me my coffee. I took it, slamming down the exact change for it.

Fuming, I stormed out of the coffee shop, wondering whether she was lying. She had to be. That was my place, my usual drink. She was new. Of course she was. That was it. "Grace?" Will's voice from behind me made me whir round to face him, glaring.

"I need to get back to the office." I muttered, turning again and heading down the road. Beginning to get a headache - it was as if someone was honestly trying to break in and steal my thoughts -, I lifted my hand to my head, pressing my temples, hard.

We walked back in silence, each left alone to our own thoughts. As quickly as the headache had come, it was gone, and I sipped my drink, pushing it from my mind. Was I who I thought I was? When we entered the building, I went straight to my desk, but not without managing to overhear what Will was saying to his brothers. "It's pointless. She doesn't remember me, and when I tried to _talk_ to her, something strong was keeping me out. She isn't that strong." His voice was low, and I doubted that he knew I could hear him.

But what was he on about? He had to be talking about something else, right? Otherwise I wasn't who I thought I was. And I was. I mean, who I thought I was. Right?


	25. Chapter 24

**Author's Note: Hey all! So, the 1st of July is on Monday, and I'm hoping that this will be finished by then. And that means updates! Lucky you guys! Please feel free to review, because I absolutely love each one of you who does so.**

**Oh, and since I've already planned the next two books (which won't take too long to write), I've had some brilliant ideas for a new series. But I don't know where to start. So if any of you want to aid in the selection process, then PM me and I'll send you something. :)**

_Chapter Twenty-four_

Who to ask? Now that was the question that I needed an answer for. I considered asking Allison, but I wondered whether she would just laugh at me. No, it had to be something else. But who? Feeling a strange echo of a feeling, it had to have been something like being protected, I wondered whether Lyrica or Harmony would mind talking to me. Of course, I hadn't been close to either of them - or had I? I pushed the thought from my head, but I crept into the hall to grab the phone before returning to my bed.

Sitting cross-legged, I dialed the number for my mother's house - my siblings still lived with her. It was weird, but I was used to it. "Donohue residence." A cool voice said from the other end, and I was suddenly tongue-tied. It was almost impatiently that the other person spoke. "Look, I don't know who you are, but we do not like prank calls. We will hunt you down."

"Lyrica? It's Grace." I asked hesitantly, finally recognising the voice.

"Oh, what do you want?" She snapped, and I felt taken aback. She never spoke to me like this.

"Am I who I think I am?" My voice hopeful, I fiddled with my feet, flicking off old bits of nail varnish.

"Yes. You're dad's favourite." Hearing the line go silent, I frantically took the phone away from my ear before returning it to its previous place.

"Hello? Lyrica?" I asked, panicked. Had she hung up on me? Why? What had I done? Feeling pretty bad about myself, I scanned my mind for someone, anyone, who I could call. Strangely, I felt like Lyrica had been lying to me, that I wasn't dad's favourite. And her voice sounded...different to what I had thought it had sounded like. Colder, harsher, like a cover had been stripped away to the very bones of what she was actually like. It was chilling, and it terrified me. Finally settling on one of my half-sisters, I punched the numbers in, my hope completely gone. Wendy had to help me. She just had to.

"Allison, what do you want?" The voice at the other end of the line sounded bored, as if she had gone through this a million times before and that it always ended the same way.

"Wendy...it's me."

Suddenly alert, Wendy spoke again. "Grace? Why are you calling me?"

"I need answers." Pausing, it seemed like Wendy was going to let me talk. Taking a deep breath to calm myself, I hesitantly asked, "Who am I really? Please..." I was almost begging, and she grew silent. "Wendy?"

"We can't talk like this. Meet me at Central Park, on the grass. I'll be holding coffees." And the line went dead.

* * *

Given the situation, I was quite nervous now that I was actually sitting beside Wendy. We were both silent, drinking our coffees, and it was only when they were gone that I finally broke the spell that had kept us quiet. "I don't know why I called you... Out of forty-one people I could have called, it was you that I found myself dialing."

Looking at me weird, Wendy put her empty cup down. "Grace, there's forty-five of us, not forty-two that you think." She spoke gently, and grabbed my arm when I moved to get up. "Look, I know what's happened to you. I know everything, because Guy told me." When I tried to protest, she held a hand up. "Guy is not some weirdo like you think he is. I need to start at the beginning before you ask any questions, all I want is for you to listen. If you think that what I'm saying is a lie, then feel free to walk away."

Nodding hesitantly, Wendy visibly relaxed. It seemed like she had been worried that I wouldn't listen, and I felt bad as to why she must have thought that. "It all starts with dad." Her voice bitter, she continued. "He's called Benjamin Smith, but you already knew that. Forty years ago, he was with his soulfinder, Michelle. According to my mother, Michelle was a beautiful woman - the pair were friends in school. They were seventeen, and in love. Actually, they were due to be married, but that really doesn't matter. Michelle's father didn't approve of Ben, because he was from a poor family, while she was from a rich one. In secret, they decided that they were going to run away to get married. Her dad found out."

Wendy fell silent again, and looked at her hands. "He took his seventeen year old daughter and beat her mercilessly. She was taken to hospital, but died of her wounds. He told the police that it was Ben, and Ben fled. Furious, Ben decided that he was going to ruin Michelle's dad. To do that, he decided that he needed children, and lots of them. He was a Savant, so his kids would be too. I don't know whether you knew this, but every single partner he's had (or has) are perfectly ordinary humans. No Savants.

"So, over the years, he had his children. Forty-five in total. Seven with Maria Kay, the older sister of his Michelle's best friend. Eight with Kelly Meyer, head cheerleader at their school and someone who bullied Michelle. Eleven with Margaret Kay, Michelle's best friend. Nine with Tara Donohue, Michelle's illegitimate sister through their mother - she wasn't a Savant. And ten with his latest conquest, Lisa Wilson, who was six years younger than him at school. Michelle was her 'big sister', tutoring her." Pausing, probably for breath, Wendy started plucking the grass. I stayed silent.

"Tara's your mother, obviously. You were kept away from dad, while your siblings went to these big meetings every year with every sibling. More joined the parties, but you stayed out of it, to allow your gift to mature without the pressures of the family. Dad must have known that you were different." She shrugged. "One year, I overheard Lyrica and Harmony having an argument with dad. He wanted them to keep an eye on you, be nice to you, because they were big believers in him and wouldn't dare disobey him. Obviously that worked, because they stopped your mother physically hurting you."

Another shrug. "A year and a half ago you were deemed 'ready' to meet everyone. Guy talked to you first, I'm not quite sure about what. He kept that bit quiet. You were sent to spy on the Benedicts." Wendy's expression hardened. "I, April and Savannah," - those names were new, I hadn't heard about them before - "visited you one day. Savannah and Alec ended up living with you." Again, another unfamiliar name. "Something happened at a bar you sang at, because you left one night with the twins and didn't come back. About six months ago, you turned up at a hospital, diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. A few days ago, you were discharged from the hospital having had your pancreas removed. Allison led a team who attacked you and a Benedict."

Her sentences became shorter, clipped. "They tortured you. You didn't tell them where the twins were. Eventually you caved. Guy used his power on you."

Stunned, I had to fumble for words. "But you said that there were forty-five of us? I thought there were forty-two of us? Who's April? Savannah? Alec? And who was the Benedict? What's happened to me?" I begged, my words beginning to overlap each other.

A voice from behind us made me jump, though Wendy didn't move. At my questions, she did look pretty upset though. "They made me remove all your memories, make new ones. Savannah and Alec, the twins, are in Scotland at university. I managed to learn that much, but I removed this knowledge from you because I knew what you would end up like, and I didn't want them hurt." It was...Guy? The weirdo? At my expression, he dropped to the floor next to me. "As for April, don't worry. You don't need to know."

"Guy alters personalities." Wendy explained quietly, looking at me.

"I made a loophole though, and hoped that they would turn up looking for you, leading you to ask this stuff." Guy's eyes gleamed, and I must have looked confused for he sighed. "The Benedicts. Specifically, Will Benedict."

"What's Will to me though? Why him?" Without waiting for them to answer, I knew what he was. "Soulfinder. He's my soulfinder." And everything clicked into place. I knew what had happened to me, who I was, and who my friends were. Paired with all of my new information, I asked one thing to both of them yet neither of them could come up with a proper answer. Only half of one. "But why does dad need me? I'm not special."

"Revenge. Michelle's dad is the Secretary of Defence."


	26. Chapter 25

**Author's Note: Woo, so another chapter! Please let me know what you think and why, because I love it when people do that. It seems like I'm not going to meet my deadline of tomorrow, but oh well!**

**Again, I'll do a bit of advertising. ^_^" I did have seven brilliant ideas for a new series, and I don't know which one I should start with. If any of you wa********nt to aid in the selection process, then PM me and I'll send you something. :)**

_Chapter Twenty-five_

Now that I was back to someone who hadn't been altered, the three of us began hatching a plan. One thing we kept disagreeing over was that they wanted to involve Will and the Benedict family, while I was severely against it. I had no idea what Wendy's power was, but eventually I found myself agreeing, even though my body was screaming for me to not let them hurt Will.

"Dad's revenge is happening on Christmas Eve." Wendy said quietly, and I nodded. I had guessed that, especially from my confused memories of when my personality had been altered.

"We have two days then, to get this planned." Guy, of course, was lazing around in the grass, staring up at the sky. I wondered whether he was wondering if his soulfinder was doing the same thing. I knew how much it hurt to be away from them, and mine had been voluntarily. I didn't know how close they had gotten, but by his expression, they had been together for a little bit.

"Call him." She tossed me her phone, and all I could do was stare down at it. The cool metal and plastic sat in my hand, ready for the number to be punched in.

"I can't do this."

"Yes you can."

"Just remember, you'll be with him soon." That was Guy, and was that bitterness I could hear in his voice? It was gone before I could tell though, and I sighed, hoping that I'd forgotten. But to no avail, I watched my fingers skimming over the digits. While I wasn't excited, it seemed like my body was, and I hated that traitorous part of me that was looking forward to seeing him.

"Will Benedict." The voice at the end of the line was cool, bored.

Hesitantly, I had to force to make my mouth work. "It's...It's Grace. Grace Donohue." Why the hell did I say my last name?! He would know who I was, the moment I had spoken.

"Grace?" Interest picked up in his voice, and I could just _see_ him bending forward eagerly, wherever he was. "Grace, what's wrong?" It was as if he had completely forgotten that I had blanked him yesterday, and I loved him for it.

"We need your help..." I trailed off, unable to find the words to continue. Snapping her fingers impatiently for the phone, I passed it over to Wendy, who put it to her ear as if this was a conversation she had every day. Choking back a hysterical laugh, I listened to her short conversation - mainly her talking, because she barely let Will talk - and looked at Guy, who had returned his gaze to the sky.

Eventually, Wendy put down the phone, looking pretty smug. "He's in. I just need to give him the details of where we'll actually be when we find that out."

* * *

The next day passed without incident, but on the morning of Christmas Eve, I was awoken by Allison. I'd had to fake to her that I didn't know anything, and that I was still brainwashed, but it was the hardest thing that I have ever had to do. Ever. "Dad wants to celebrate Christmas early." She said, smiling. I could tell now that her smiles were fake, cold and they chilled me to the bone. "Remember to dress nicely." Allison added, before exiting the room.

I really hated her, but I showered and got dressed anyway. When I emerged from my room in a suitably sensible dress made up of a pale cream dress and heels, I waited for her approval before we left the building. "He's managed to get us into the White House today, in DC, but you're going to have to help." Looking in the mirror of the car and touching up her lipstick, she didn't notice me discretely send a two word text to Wendy. _White House. _"I mean, he has people waiting there, but they don't like to advertise that people go in there." She amended, as if that was going to change anything. "I'm sure daddy will explain properly to you when we see him."

* * *

I was under dad's scrutiny, standing awkwardly in the centre of his foyer. Seemingly gaining his approval of my choice of dress, he turned away. There was a fairly large group of us here, and I was shocked to see the five youngest - Sylvie (16), Jared (14), Paige (13), Ruth (10) and little Lucy (9). Dad smoothed down Lucy's hair, pressing his lips to her head, and it made me feel sick. He was a snake.

"Now, I'm sure you're all wondering why you're here." He said, in way of greeting. Murmurs of agreement spread through the crowd, and I had to try very hard not to meet Guy's gaze. "Forty years ago, my soulfinder was ripped from me, and it was all blamed on me." Dad's eyes gleamed with madness, and I had to force myself not to step backwards. He was crazy. He was going to get us all killed. "Now it's time to have some revenge. Now it's time to be respected. We are going to show Mr Secretary of Defence that he was wrong to do that to me. We're going to take the White House by storm, and hold the world to ransom. Everything's in place, and she is our ticket there!" In the midst of most of the group yelling, he pointed at me. "We're going to get in there undetected until it is too late, and we are going to avenge Michelle! The big red button is waiting for us!"

The response was incredible. "My favourite daughter is going to lead the revolution!" Dad yelled gleefully, and Allison looked smug, proud. "Why don't you come and stand next to your old dad, Grace?" He asked, gesturing for me to come stand next to him. Allison glared at me, hatred oozing from her. Of course, she had spent the whole of her life getting close to dad, and to her I was waltzing in and taking all of the power that she craved. "We leave in three hours!" The answering yell was outstanding, and I stood, frozen with a smile on my face, wondering how the hell I was going to stop this.

**A/N: I tried to get the atmosphere for the last part right. If you've seen X-Men: The Last Stand, just picture all of those mutants cheering Magneto on - but this time, it looks like a bunch of ordinary people following an ordinary guy. If you get that?**


	27. Chapter 26

**Author's Note: Please ignore my lack of experience with American politics... I'm from Britain, not America, and I've tried my hardest to do some research for this.**

_Chapter Twenty-six_

It was absolutely horrendous while I was forced to wait for the inevitable to come. I wasn't allowed to do anything, only rest and watch everything fall into place. When I asked about the younger children, dad said that they were there to witness an age where Savants will rule the world - specifically us. He gloried about telling me how he was going to make Michelle's dad pay, make it look like it's all his fault, and then make sure that he died a horrible and painful death. All the while, Allison was staring at me with daggers in her eyes, and I did anything I could to keep away from her.

I spent some of the time talking to the younger children. I learnt that Sylvie wanted to be a ballet dancer and had the ability to make plants grow. It was minor, but she really liked it. Jared had fun manipulating dreams, and wanted to be a race car driver. I didn't have the heart to tell him that if he did become one then he would put us all in danger if people found out we were Savants. Paige really wanted to be a scientist, preferably something to do with medicine, because she could heal minor bruises and it fascinated her. Ruth wanted to paint, and had vision that could zoom in on things. And little Lucy still clung to the dream of being a princess, and have her soulfinder prince come sweep her off her feet.

At long last everything was ready, and the eighteen people who I was being forced to transport all crowded around me. I'd never tried to move this many people before, and I was kind of nervous. Everyone older than Sylvie had a gun strapped to their side - obviously not all of their powers affected people physically - or several, like a few of the men. "Be ready to shoot." Dad ordered, and I had to force myself not to shudder. "The President is giving a speech today, so the Oval Office, please. We're going to install fear into the hearts of America." His eyes gleamed, and again I had to suppress a shiver. Concentrating, I felt the hands touch me, and I jumped, hoping that I was leaving someone with a gun.

* * *

It was almost immediately that I could hear shots when we arrived at the White House, and I couldn't tell who was shooting at who. All I could feel was an iron grip on my arm, keeping me from getting hit. I didn't know who was doing that, but I guessed that it was someone charged with keeping me safe. "GET THE PRESIDENT OUT OF HERE." I heard one voice yell, and then movement from the corner of my eye caught my attention. Instead of drawing attention to who had to be the President, I instead let myself get dragged in front of the reporters, in front of the cameras.

Turned out the hand belonged to my father. Everything happened quickly, and was a blur, and I had the faint impression that the person to my left talking before I left the room in a slightly smaller group than we had arrived in. Traversing the corridors of the White House - the White House!-, I heard more shots, and a couple more people leave the group.

It was then that I became aware of the presence in our group that hadn't been there before. I recognised them from somewhere, and when my gaze traveled down their arm, I saw a large case physically attached to them. They looked pretty relaxed, as if this was normal, and I had to look around for Guy. As if anticipating my question, Guy brushed next to me, and whispered, "That's one of the Presidential Military Aides, carrying the Nuclear Football. I, ah, had to alter parts of his personality to make him compliant." He looked a bit bashful, before he continued speaking at my confused expression. "When opened, it has all the necessary things to launch a nuclear missile. Dad got a few of the siblings planted in the positions of power. He wants to take over the world - and if he can't have it, no one can."

We fell silent, and I closed my eyes briefly, hoping that Will would be able to help us. It would be total devastation! We would die! When I looked around the group again, most of them had evil smiles on their face.

"This is what could happen if daddy took over." A small voice from beside me angelically said, and when I looked down, it was Lucy, slipping her hand in mine. There was a flash of light, and I could _see._

_I could see destruction, total devastation, and crying families being separated...by me. But it wasn't me. We were similar, but not. This Grace had a cold, hard, expression on her face, and when someone tripped, she smiled nastily. Before I could even react, this person snapped her fingers, and some followers__, presumably Savants, pulled the person forward. It was someone I knew, Peter from the place where I used to sing. Horrified, I watched myself pull a gun out from its holster and aim at him, ignoring his protests, and then the gun fired..._

Pulling my hand away from her, I looked down at her with fear in my eyes. This sweet little girl could show you what would happen, when she wanted to. And it terrified me. A child with such power... More shots rang out, and we had to step over some bodies to get into what seemed like a control room. The moment everyone had stepped through, the door was closed and barricaded, and every single member of the President's staff was shot. When I noticed what the others were going to do, I pulled Ruth and Lucy towards me, covering their eyes with my hands. They didn't deserve to have to watch that.

* * *

Sitting against the wall with the two youngest curled up next to me, I watched my father pace, other siblings on the phone - probably getting some missiles ready. Shuddering, I really hoped that Will would get here with his part of the plan. Suddenly there was a lot of shooting, and I jolted upright, scrambling to my feet. Could it be him? I didn't know. But I really hoped that it wasn't him on the receiving end of those bullets.

"FBI!" I heard someone yell, and the door began to rattle, pressure building.


	28. Chapter 27

**Author's Note: Woo, so this is almost over! Please review and let me know what you think, because I'm looking forward to them. ^_^**

_Chapter Twenty-seven_

I didn't even know what happened then, but I was hauled to my feet, and pulled to the centre of the room. By the none too soft yanks, I guessed that it was Allison who was pulling me around.

Then the door collapsed, and there were more bullets flying around. I saw Tenor narrow his eyes, and I guessed that his power was at work when the first few FBI people through the door look around blindly - his power was something like incapacitating them so that they can be picked off easily. Seeing my opportunity, I pulled away from Allison and pushed Tenor, causing him to stumble - which gave the FBI something they needed. Right in front of me I saw him collapse, surprise on his face as his hand came up to his bleeding chest, before he slumped forward.

Again I was pulled back, my arms restrained as I finally found Will's face next to his brother, Victor. "Will!" I couldn't help myself from calling out, and I saw his gaze snap to where I was. He started forward, his brother catching his arm and speaking lowly to him. Watching his pained expression, my heart yearned to be with him.

"Stop." My father said calmly, indicating Mitchell to stop it. The bullets flying through the air froze, and Mitchell's head furrowed in concentration. Given the chance to look around, I saw that most of my siblings had fallen, and when I saw Sylvie, Paige, and Ruth huddle around two small bodies, tears began to fall. Lucy...Little Lucy... And Jared... They must have got caught in the crossfire. My tears blinded my eyes, and when my dad motioned for me to join him, I didn't protest and instead walked over to him freely.

Only for him to grab a hunk of my hair, forcing me to my knees, and I felt the barrel of the gun touch the back of my head. Fear overwhelming my sadness, I looked straight ahead, trying not to see anything. "The world, or her." Dad hissed, and no one moved. I could have sworn that I was the only one breathing as my breaths were heavy and ragged.

There was slight movement, and I heard the trigger being pulled back - but there was no bullet! What?! And then there was more gunfire, and I heard him drop to the floor behind me. Scrambling to my feet, I ran, hoping that I wouldn't get hit, trying to get behind the FBI line. They would protect me, right?

One shot behind me made me spin around, seeing Allison in control of a gun. She smiled maliciously, relishing the chance to kill me, and kill me _now._ "Your pretty little soulfinder can't help you now." Licking her lips, her eyes darted around the room, and I realised that she had completely lost the plot. But I felt like what she was saying was true. Will was distracted, trying to round up the last few members of the group of people I had arrived with. "I'm going to enjoy this."

I watched her pull the trigger, my heart sinking. So this was how I was going to die. Not through torture, or cancer, but by the hands of my crazy sister. Then there was movement, and I saw the bullet hit into flesh - but not my flesh. And then a last shot was fired, but I was too distracted. This person had just saved my life.

I dropped to my feet by their side, and when I rolled them over, I met Guy's eyes. He was breathing heavily. "Guy... Why?" I whispered, trying to put pressure on the wound.

"I..I owed you an apology. I...I had to m-make it up to you." He managed to say, gasping with pain. "I-I need to confess something."

"Shhh, you can make it through this." I shook my head, ignoring his protests.

"Ap-April. W-When they found out that you had taken the twins, they took April as an example." His eyes cleared for a moment, too wrapped up in telling me the truth than to think about the pain. There was a presence by my side, and I was vaguely aware that there was no more sounds. "They killed her, used her to threaten Wendy." Sobbing, I tried to find something to say, though he beat me to saying something. "F-Find Brittany Stevens. Tell her I love her." Guy managed to say, before his eyes found something else.

It seemed like the emergency services were on hand, because they came bursting into the scene, and I was bundled away from Guy. Even as they worked on him, I knew it was futile. He was gone. I turned into the person by my side, and threw myself into his arms. "I didn't think you'd come." Sobbing harder, I let my self be comforted by Will, tears falling freely on his shirt.

"Of course I did. I'll always come, Gracie. How do you not know that? I've followed you all over the world, from Scotland to Japan to New Zealand, and all the places in between." His voice was quiet, arms strong around my waist, and I felt oddly calm, even in the middle of chaos.


	29. Epilogue

**Author's Note: ****It's kind of appropriate that this is the longest chapter for Losing Grace. It tied up all loose ends, and I swear I would be lost have I not got Chasing Cara and Clearing Chase to write. I feel kind of sad, knowing that this is the last Gracie chapter. ****As you have probably guessed, Grace doesn't feature in the sequels, because they're set while she's on the run. **

**I don't particularly want to say much more, because I don't want to ruin it.**

**So, please enjoy this, and review if you can. ^_^**

**This is dedicated to sevenofdiamonds7 for their twenty-one reviews (I kinda got bored, so I counted) and for being my first ever reviewer, the-compulsive-tea-drinker for listening to possible future ideas, and for fleurchen, for their constant support. And for all you readers out there who have joined Gracie on her journey. ^_^**

_Epilogue_

I had no idea how we had got to this point. "It'll be okay." Sky whispered to me as I looked out at the crowd. Damn. The whole place was packed, and I thought I could see some of Sky's friends still selling tickets at the back. There was nowhere else for anyone to sit down! And then it dawned on me. They were planning on having people standing up.

"Remind me how this happened?" I asked, dreading the answer, although I already knew what it was.

"You and Will were arguing over who was the better singer in the grocery store." Phee actually had the nerve to sound pretty amused. I shot her a glare, and she faked an innocent expression. "What? It's not our fault that you were talking incredibly loudly and that everyone could hear you."

"No, but it was your idea to hold a small competition." One of the other girls said - Cara, the small Hispanic.

"Yeah, well." She smiled, and I rolled my eyes at them all.

"We're up." Diamond called, rushing over, eyes bright with excitement. The seven of us had become a "band" in the past three weeks, armed with the thoughts that we could beat our men - and that we had to, otherwise we wouldn't hear the end of it. The thought made me smile, but it led me to thinking about family, and, specifically, what had happened to mine.

We had found out on Christmas day that twelve of my siblings had died - Jared and Lucy were only two of the casualties. Nine had been arrested - presumably the ones that had been put into positions of power. Lyrica had been in charge of setting the missiles off, and she had resisted arrest, instead trying to shoot the officers. They had shot her, and she had bled out. My dad, Ben Smith, had died too, and it seemed like everyone was trying to settle down and get on with their lives. I hadn't heard from most of my siblings since the funerals, which had been somber occasions. I hadn't been able to wait to get away from it all.

Christmas had been okay, a bit weepy but what else was to be expected? I had gone to see Brittany, Guy's soulfinder. She had been devastated when I told her the news. I still kept in contact with her, but that was a bit on and off. It was all a bit painful for her. But it did turn out that Guy had had a little boy with Brittany, which I had been incredibly surprised at. Apparently everything had happened so fast, then she got pregnant and he had to leave. I had tried to explain it all to her, but she didn't want to know. I couldn't blame her.

Will and I got married in April. It was a small wedding, a few chosen siblings on my side and his whole family on his. Jackson, Guy's brother, walked me down the aisle, and I had Sky, Phoenix, Crystal, Chase, Cara, Diamond, Sylvie and Paige as bridesmaids, Ruth as a flower girl. Wendy, of course, was my maid of honour. (Okay, maybe it wasn't that small.) Will had chosen Xav as his best man, which we had all pretended to groan about, but it had turned out pretty well.

After that, we had travelled for a bit. Until about a month ago, when we had come home, and then this happened.

"I still can't believe we're doing this." I muttered, hearing us being introduced. Smiling nervously, I took the microphone that I was offered, and led our group on the stage. Sky settled at the piano, Cara with her violin, Chase in front of a microphone stand, Crystal with the bass that she had only just managed to learn, Phee at the drums (she had an uncanny ability to make some noise), and Diamond took the space next to me, a microphone in her hand. "I'm nervous." I whispered. It felt like so long ago that I had been up on stage. In fact, the last time had been when Will and I had sung A Whole New World, from Aladdin. Smiling at the memory, I was soon shaken out of it by the staring eyes that belonged to the audience.

"Don't be." Di told me, quickly squeezing my hand.

Closing my eyes, I heard her sing the first verse before it would be me. The first time in front of the audience that was the majority of my new town - or my old one, depending on how you looked at it.

_"And the walls kept tumbling down  
In the city that we love  
Grey clouds roll over the hills  
Bringing darkness from above"_

Thrilled by the response of the audience, I opened them, getting really into the song, smiling with my happiness. All too soon it was over, before we were going straight into the next song.

_"I'm only up when you're not down.  
Don't wanna fly if you're still on the ground.  
It's like no matter what I do.  
Well you drive me crazy half the time;  
the other half I'm only trying to let you know that what I feel is true.  
And I'm only me when I'm with you."_

And that was over too.

_"If you love somebody  
Better tell them while they're here 'cause  
They just may run away from you."_

The songs were over so quickly that I had barely realised that Chase was pushing on my back, getting me off stage. The buzz from performing was the greatest high, and we hurried down to take our seats in the audience, ready for our men's attempt at beating us. When Will took the centre spot, in front a microphone stand, he winked at me, just as a screen behind him lowered.

As the violin, played by Victor, started, accompanied by the drummer (Zed), the screen flickered to life with a mock old movie start. To my utter disbelief, it was a clip of me and Will when we were younger, fighting over some blocks. It must have been in the early part of our friendship. I didn't even know that it had been filmed. Tears pricked at the corners of my eyes, even before he started singing.

_"Looking through the photos you find in my draw  
Laughing so hard you're rolling around on the floor  
At all the bad haircuts and smoking cigarettes  
The lustless romantic trying hard to impress."_

Sure enough, there was a film of us from a few weeks ago, looking at all the old photo albums, me lifting the book up now and then to show the camera what I was laughing at. As the song went on, there were more short films, more photos (some old, some recent), and some very childish drawings that we had both done when we were little. The tears started falling at the clip of me holding up a folded piece of paper, a drawing of me and Will holding hands - me in white, he in a tux. We couldn't have been more than six. It was the second to last clip, and it had a caption, "Even then, we knew this would happen.", before the video changed to me walking down the aisle.

Someone handed me a tissue, just in time for the next song. All seven of the brothers ramped up the swag, which caused all of us girls to laugh. Will was, of course, drinking in all the attention they were getting. He was winking at the audience, as if the video that had gone on behind them in the last song didn't exist.

_"Tell me your troubles and doubts  
Giving me everything inside and out and  
Love's strange so real in the dark  
Think of the tender things that we were working on."_

It wasn't as good as the first one, which, when I discussed it with the girls later, everyone agreed on that. The hype wound down a little, people calming down, and I had to smile. It was my favourite song, from my favourite film - something I hadn't told him. I didn't know how he had picked up on it, but he had, and there he was.

"Grace, this is for you." His voice jarred me from my thoughts, and when I looked up, Will now had a mandolin, looking directly at me. His look said, _This is what I think about you__, _and I didn't know what to say. Watching him furrow his brow in concentration, trying to get the beginning right, I clasped my hands in my lap.

_"And I'd give up forever to touch you  
'Cause I know that you feel me somehow  
You're the closest to heaven that I'll ever be  
And I don't wanna go home right now."_

Tears once again pricked at my eyes, and I felt someone nudge me from the right.

_"And all I can taste is this moment  
And all I can breathe is your life  
When sooner or later it's over  
I just don't wanna miss you tonight."_

There were a few bum notes from the bass, but I could almost forgive Trace for that. He wasn't musical after all.

_"And I don't want the world to see me  
'Cause I don't think that they'd understand  
When everything's made to be broken  
I just want you to know who I am."_

Someone pushed me to my feet, and, unsteadily, I started forwards, lost in the music that the brothers were weaving.

_"And you can't fight the tears that ain't coming  
Or the moment of truth in your lies  
When everything feels like the movies  
Yeah, you bleed just to know you're alive."_

I'd left him, and he'd kept coming after me. I'd lied, and he didn't care. I'd made him bleed emotionally, and he'd just patched up the wounds before continuing on anyway.

_"And I don't want the world to see me  
'Cause I don't think that they'd understand  
When everything's made to be broken  
I just want you to know who I am."_

I couldn't believe it. I knew him, but I felt the raw emotion in the song, something he'd kept hidden from me. He came down the steps from the stage, microphone in hand, eyes locked on mine. And then we were so close, yet not touching, and something burned in me to run my hands through his hair and kiss him, but I didn't. I couldn't. I couldn't ruin the spell.

_"And I don't want the world to see me  
'Cause I don't think that they'd understand  
When everything's made to be broken  
I just want you to know who I am."_

"I am so sorry Will." I whispered, slipping my hand into his free hand, oblivious to the fact that we had an audience.

"Just kiss 'er!" Someone from the audience yelled, and I giggled slightly, though Will kept himself immersed in the song. I could see the concentration in his face, the emotion in his eyes. He had to finish this.

_"I just want you to know who I am  
I just want you to know who I am  
I just want you to know who I am."_

He'd barely finished the last line before I had pulled him into a hug, burying my head into his shoulder, tears falling freely. "I love you Will. I'm yours, forever and always, and I won't leave you." I whispered, feeling his strong arms around me, just like they should do. I didn't care who won, because I know that I had - I'd won him, and my future, and I didn't have to worry about families. Well, apart from his mad one. I didn't have to run anymore.

Because I was home.

* * *

**A/N: Okay, so I can admit something now. I was honestly thinking about killing Gracie off because there were some pretty bad things going on in my life, but then I got attached and...well, she got her happy ending, and things got better for me. ^_^ "Iris" by the Goo Goo Dolls (which is the only full song in this chapter) is Grace's theme song - I think I mentioned earlier at some point that I knew what it was, but that I couldn't share it because I thought it would ruin it for you all.**

**I've had this ending planned since the beginning of the story - in fact, I knew that it would end this way before I knew how it was going to start.**

**The songs, if you wanted to know, were:**

**Pompeii (by Bastille)  
I'm only me when I'm with you (by Taylor Swift)  
On top of the world (by Imagine Dragons)  
Just me before we met (Noah and the Whale)  
Don't you (forget about me) (by Simple Minds)  
Iris (by the Goo Goo Dolls)**

**I suggest that you take a listen. c:**

**I would like to say a huge thank you to everyone who has reviewed, favourited, and followed, you've made me very happy. So do it just one more time to let me know whether you liked the ending?**

**And please feel free to read on about the Benedict brothers in Chasing Cara and Clearing Chase. ^_^**


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